Owners of a Bankrupt Country

It's a well-known moment in the history of totalitarianism: grand promises on the one hand, but not even a concise news item that Belgrade's ambassadors to the EC and the OECD (Mihailo Crnobrnja and Zarko Papic respectively) have resigned on the other.

Splendid - Mr. Seselj would have said last Wednesday night, at a rally in front of the former, or perhaps, future Federal Parliament in Belgrade - for two hard currency salaries have been spared for the destitute Serbian people. One should listen to Mr. Seselj, for he is announcing the Serbian government's moves: cut off diplomatic and other relations with the USA and their companions at once, then sell the embassy buildings and equipment, and distribute the revenues to disabled veterans from the war in which Serbia did not take part. Furthermore, sticking to the regulations of economy, wipe away the differences in pensions, for the highest pensions are enjoyed by followers of Titoism (with whom Seselj, Milosevic, Bozovic, Jovic and their other companions have no connection). When all pensioners start getting the same tiny spoonful of food, and when they kiss the benefactor's hand for keeping them on the list of the suitable, it only remains that the same standard be applied to all employees. Who dissents, it is clear he must have been bought by the West, and even by the Islamic Jihad, i.e. the individual will become a redundant worker, since the Serbian leadership is so deeply concerned with the good management and profitability of every firm.

A true light, in that sense, was shed by Slobodan Milosevic's brief visit to the Novi Sad Agricultural Fair, at the end of the last week. The Serbian Chief-of-State said that "we have all possibilities for a fast revitalization of our economy" and that "we have everything that's necessary for such an undertaking at our disposal". Mr. Milosevic also nominated himself for the Nobel Prize in Economics by explaining that everything (the curbing of hyper-inflation and the stabilization of the Serbian economy) will run smoother than before, for "there are no more of the conflicts and clashes of interests in Yugoslavia, which earlier blocked the adoption of numerous economic plans, and especially their realization." In brief, the President does not doubt "absolutely certain success".

At the same time, the ventriloquist Jovic (Borisav), informed the public that the Serbian economy is still an open one, probably unaware that his boss has begun implementing a new phase of his agreement with Mr. Tudjman, under the name of a "temporary" ban on the sale of movable and immovable property for citizens of the ex-Yugoslav republics. Apart from Mr. Zebic's (Serbian Finance Minister) signature, the official gazette is publishing that "the others" are not even allowed to sell inventory from their offices and apartments, and this cannot be anything else but an invitation to his friend Tudjman to do the same with the property, movable and immovable, belonging to Serbs living in the partially free Croatia. By the way, Mr. Jovic is forgetting that the Serbian economy was also "open" to Slovenia before the war, in which Serbia took no part, and is beating the gun by saying that hyper-inflation cannot be restrained promptly - and is further staining the Serbian honor even with the discovery (!) that uncovered government spending is the main source of hyper-inflation. This could have been said by anyone but Milosevic, Jovic, Bozovic and their disciples.

Quite recently, Mr. Radoman Bozovic made some promises, off the record, that the Serbian government will basically and imminently retrace Mr. Markovic's steps. Meanwhile VREME has learned the following: the principal candidate for governor of the new federal state's new central bank was once Nikola Stanic (famous for his Mr. Markovic-bashing articles in POLITIKA daily, which also helped him fulfill Mr. Milosevic's criteria for expertise and reliability). He has been left in the lurch only because Mr. Milo Djukanovic (the Montenegrin Prime Minister) has politely refused the federal prime minister's office, i.e. in the division of the new state's top offices, Montenegro will be nominating the new central bank governor. Hence Mr. Bozovic will become the Federal PM, and the already nominated Vice-Governor (Vuk Ognjenovic) will lose the prefix to his title.

Looking at it from any angle, it is obvious that the ruling regime is not even thinking of establishing an independent and responsible central bank. For all predictions of future moves - listen to Mr. Seselj. He will announce the end of current Serbian regime, and consequently his own.