Mitevic's Dismissal

Firstly, on last Wednesday evening, it was officially stated - without explanation - that Mr. Dusan Mitevic, Director of the Serbian Administration for Reserves was dismissed from the post by the Government's decision. Then, on the next day (Thursday), Mr. Mitevic held a press conference and explained his views on the event which is on its way to become the pick of the week: for God's Sake, Dusan Mitevic is not dismissed every week! Last time it happened after a turbulent mess on March 9, 1991; it was centuries ago.

After March 9, when two lives were lost because of TV Belgrade and its director Dusan Mitevic, Milosevic's regime shifted Mitevic to the chief position at the Republic Administration of Reserves, the post which is much more significant - in terms of real political power than the one he occupied previously.

Just last week Mr. Mitevic appeared on ITV Studio B and spoke as a well positioned official. Asked whether Mr. Milosevic was a fried of his, he answered (after a short pause): "Well, I think he is." Two days later he was dismissed. At the press conference in Belgrade, he offered three reasons for his dismissal: allegedly, he was defending the Serbia proper from the appetites of the Serbian Prime Minister Bozovic, who was planning to move the Administration headquarters to Novi Sad; allegedly, he was opposing the ideas which enforced the significance of Sandzak and Kosovo; lastly, he placed his dismissal in the context of a "general struggle for the democratization of Serbia".

When things are given a second thought, Mr. Mitevic would have to offer some stronger proofs to support the theory that Mr. Bozovic dismissed him because he was against the idea to move the Administration to Novi Sad (Vojvodina). Between the two Mitevic's claims - that he is the protector of the economy of Serbia proper and that Mr. Bozovic is an "autonomist" - it is difficult to choose the less convincing one. More probably, the story goes about the conflict between the two members of the Socialist Party of Serbia over the political power, i.e. over the control of merchandise reserves, which gives its master multiple benefits. Lets just remember that Dusan Mitevic has become a monopoly buyer of grain by the decision of Bozovic's government. In this way he obtained the right, through his business bank, to draw loans for the grain purchase from the primary emission (of printed money). When used according to legal terms, these loans are not at all attractive; however, if the money does not come to peasants quickly, they become very interesting for the Administration and its bank, who turn over the capital getting the profit. Our practice has been facing this phenomenon as a rule for years. Only from this viewpoint - illegal and burglar - Mr. Mitevic could scare the people with the threat that they would "loose a billion and half or two billion dollars" if the Administration were moved to Novi Sad. He forgot to mention that it was the Bozovic's government that gave the Serbian police the right to enter any Vojvodina silo and "purchase" for a ridiculous price, and by force, "purchase" the grain not yet sold to the Administration. Namely, so far the Administration for Reserves has purchased only 660,000 tons of grain out of 1.500,000 tons planned. This quantity would suffice until the end of the year. It is rumored among those in the know in Belgrade that Mitevic and Bozovic blame each other, after Milosevic asked them pointedly why there was no more grain in Serbia.

The regime which in one week only "lost" both Aleksandar Bakocevic (ex president of the Serbian Parliament) and Dusan Mitevic must get worried over itself.