Milosevic is to Become the Pope, Bulatovic the Lakers Coach...

The persistence with which someone is daily presenting life-saving personnel solutions for the deepest crisis of the new Yugoslav society is becoming fascinating and is presenting non-stop amusement for the masses. The assistance of the media greedy for that type of news is overstepping the boundaries of professionalism. Slobodan Vucetic, a judge of the Constitutional Court of Serbia, has denied news that he is to replace Slobodan Milosevic as the president of Serbia, who is shortly to become the president of Yugoslavia, while, according to the same news, Momir Bulatovic shall shave off his mustache in order to become Radoje Kontic. Even if Milosevic were to grow a mustache in order to become Lilic, it is a question of elementary logic how judge Vucetic could become the president of Serbia unless that position is hereditary and has been left to him in Milosevic's last will.

The Constitution regulates what would happen in case Milosevic would stop exercising the function which he is now exercising: he would be replaced, until new elections are called, by the Parliament Speaker - meaning Dragan Tomic. However, speculative minds when once let off their leash are difficult to recall. This is how news was quickly sent out that Milorad Jaksic, following a decision of the Serbian government, has been ousted from his position of director of the Post, Telephone and Telegraph Company of Serbia, in order to become the president of the reconstructed Serbian government. Svetozar Krstic, vice-president in a still unconstituted government, says there is no logic in it. Anyway, Mirko Marjanovic still hasn't been fired from the position of CEO of Progres in order to later become the prime minister.

Someone must have been having the time of their lives these days placing first Pavle Bulatovic in Lilic's position, then Lilic into Kontic's, not to mention the "Havel syndrome" under whose influence some see Matija Beckovic as the president, still others see Dusan Kovacevic, while Vuk Draskovic sees himself. However, let's go back to the newest sensation about Milosevic and Bulatovic, which, wonder of wonders, doesn't have to be so unrealistic. Anyway the department which launches such news always tries to be at the very border of the realistic world and the "twilight zone". Sometimes they are simply testing how "hot" the water is, at other times they are shifting the center of interest of the political public in a biased manner. The alleged sources of such news in this specific case have been hunted down on two terrains: circles close to the party of the Montenegrin socialists and "our sources from world capitals". Velizar Brajovic, VREME's bureau chief from Podgorica, was literally told by Momcilo Stojanovic, spokesman for the president of Montenegro, the following: "I have been authorized by the President Momir Bulatovic to announce that it is absolutely not true". That was the answer to the question on the authenticity of the speculations that Milosevic and Bulatovic have come to an agreement during their last Belgrade meeting, that the former was to become president, and the latter prime minister of the federal state. From the cabinet of Milo Djukanovic, after VREME's journalist asked for a statement on the speculations on the new personnel combinations and alleged trying meeting of the Montenegrin prime minister with Milosevic, the following answer was sent out: "Why don't they ask those who had published it." Colleague Brajovic states the following: "It is certain that Bulatovic and Milosevic are having intense conversations and that the details of those conversations are not known even to many top ranking officials of the Montenegrin government. Our source claims that Bulatovic does not support Milosevic as far as the actual situation in Serbia is concerned, and that the exchange of ideas on the election of top federation officials is still not on the agenda, i.e. that it shall follow only when the situation in Serbia is resolved."

At the end another sensation. Richard Holbrooke at a working lunch with the editorial board of one of the leading American weekly magazines said, "Milosevic is finished by June". The only thing that I can guarantee is that Holbrooke had really said that, yet all other questions in relation to it have to be addressed to Richard.