Rumored Cyclist

With cynical indifference official press is avoiding to mention a fact that the man who was only month ago running for a President, was recently detained and forced to wait at the Yugoslav state border more than seven hours before entering the country.

It became obvious, once again, that Serbs quickly forget those who are not in power. Or those who are not likely to take the power soon.

We began this interview with a remark that the best place to have an interview with Mr Panic, who is notorious of time-shortage, happens to be on the State border since he seams to have plenty of time there. He refrained from commenting this incident on the press conference held the day before. On the same conference he announced to the press that he was planning to remain sitting off the pace of political front runners and would focus on economic issues, where he can be of some help, rather than political ones.

Sitting off the pace is a very good strategy in cycling, sport which you once practiced. You ride on the lee-side, waiting for your rival's mistake. But in politics, particularly Serbian politics where you can't lose your bear-the-palm position even if you make some disastrous mistakes - political activities comming"from the rear" is almost the certain way to oblivion.

Sitting behind the scenes means that Milan Panic, the patriot, remains here. He is not afraid of the problems. He still wants to change this political system. He wants to give assistance to anybody who needs his help. I can be of help in economy to a large extent, since I'm

a businessman myself. As you know, I have my corporation (ICN Galenika) here, which if it continues to operate this well could become an example for others who want to invest in this country. So, I will work mainly developing a strong stable economy, since only stable economy could lead to a stable democracy. But, if anybody would ask for my help - students, political parties, various organizations, unions - I will be more than happy to help. One thing that I don't want is to push myself into the front position. I repeat, I am absolutely ready to engage if anybody wants me to. I'm bound by million and a half voters that voted for me on the last elections. It's more than the Serbian Radical Party got with all its deputies.

This sounds rather cautious compared to your first statements right after the elections. You announced then, on behalf of those million and a half voters, that you would not pause your political activities until Milosevic resigns. Is what you've just said a sign that you have become more realistic?

No, I didn't change at all. Since I know now that so many people voted for me, I have the right to announce publicly my opinion, for example that Milosevic made this or that mistake, or even to ask his resignation. Our positions are fundamentally different, now. For the first time he has an opponent who received more than 30 % of the votes, and he knows that those people do not support his policy. If we speak about democracy, I must say that I have a large part of the general public on my side, and that fact has to be respected. He is a clever man and he knows what it means. He knows that the general public is a big force - force that is now standing against his machinery.

It seams that Slobodan Milosevic is not interested at all with the things you are saying. In his interview after the elections he stated that you belong to "political history". Have you met him recently, after the elections? Perhaps in Geneva?

I will repeat once again: I have promised that I would be back, and I'm back, as you can see. As soon as I departed to USA the rumors were spread that I ran away; that I feared some charges, courts and particularly some threats that I would be handed over and judged by those Serbs living outside Serbia since I allegedly betrayed them. The day will come when it would become very obvious who betrayed the Serbs and whose policy brought them to the position they're in now.

I haven't seen Milosevic after the elections. Our last discussion was the well-known one that lasted six hours, when I asked his resignation.

It is known that you had some big failures in your business, but you always managed to raise on your feet and proceed stronger than ever. However, the rules of a political come-back are somewhat different, particularly nowadays.

It's even easier to raise again in this situation than in the normal one. And regarding the come-backs, even De Gaulle had to leave the political scene but he came back.

It seamed, at the moment, that you accepted President Cosic's earlier offer to be the "flying ambassador" of FR Yugoslavia?

As I said, I am here to help. As a patriot I'm prepared to do whatever they ask me to. If Mr Cosic would ask me to help as a "flying ambassador" I could not refuse it. Before that, we have to find Mr Cosic's place in this system. You know his position, and what they are planning to do with him.

In the first session of the Federal Parliament they didn't bother him. Was this law on election of deputiesfor the Council of Citizens disposable, after the exit of Mr Dobrica Cosic?

I cannot speculate whether this was made especially for Mr Cosic or not. It might not hurt only Mr Cosic; it could be meant for extensive use as well. That law is nothing else but attempt of gaining the absolute control. In every democratic system you are relying on good decisions, not on control. Putting Montenegrins into the unequal position is the worst consequence of the law. Montenegrins have elected representatives for this Council in the democratic way, all the parties participated proportionally and that's something to be complimented. There are only two options: either for Serbs to do the same thing, or for Montenegrins to change their decision in non-democratic ways as Serbs already did. If the latter happens, it would be a step backwards. Serbia has the opportunity to make an excellent move, to show that it is pleading for democratic solutions and not for putting Montenegro into an unequal position.

Many things remained unclear about your recent return to Yugoslavia. President Cosic was persuading you not to come back at this specific moment, it has been said.

I've said many times, I accept all advice given to me by Mr Cosic as advice from a humane, exceptionally reliable political leader, diplomat and writer. Whatever he suggested I listened to him and tried to obey. Since I'm here now, it's not that important whether he advised me on this matter or not.

Whenever you speak of Mr Cosic, you speak with great tact and diplomacy?

I am a democrat, and I can always choose what to say. Whatever my answer would be, they could always use it against me. Cosic has my full support, I repeated that many times. His program was also the program of my election campaign. He was my national leader at one moment and he will remain that. I see him as my older brother.

There are some different opinions on that. It was said that the support Mr Cosic gave you on the eve of the elections should have been more obvious and much stronger. Others said that he supported you out of compulsion because of the international pressure, and that a "disobedient son" (Milosevic) is closer to his heart than the "younger brother" (Panic)...

No, it's not true. Mr Cosic was helping me during the elections. He categorically stated that he doesn't agree with Mr Milosevic's policy. Everybody remembers that, I hope. He clearly stated that Panic was supporting his program on seven points. What more could he have done or said?

It was said that you have invited him to join you and the rest of the opposition leaders on the final rally in Belgrade?

I really can't remember that. The thing that I know is that he supported me and I'm very grateful for that. Cosic was doing exactly what his conscience and beliefs commanded him to do. I respect him as an intellectually honest person. I really think he is.

What did you bring from Washington in your diplomatic bag, this time?

Try to remember who was the last Yugoslav president who spoke to an American president? I think Tito, with Carter. Nobody after that.

I told people that I did more for peace than the entire 6th Fleet and sanctions did together. They were not pleased to hear that, but that is the fact. Regardless of the outcome of the elections, I think those 30 % of the votes and the fact that we began to break the system are of more value than all the fleet threats and sanctions.

Did you have the opportunity in the USA to thank them for the clumsy support you got from the West on the eve of the elections? Lets say - to Eagleburger?

It would be much better if he had never mentioned me. It was really clumsy "support". When he said three days before the elections that Milosevic is a war criminal and than ordered voters how to vote he helped Milosevic a lot, not me. Two days before the elections the UN Committee for Sanctions decided to permit oil imports for humanitarian causes, although I asked them to do that at least three months earlier since we needed oil. In other words, all that thwarted my already poor starting position in the election campaign, which lasted only several days. It was a handicaped race. In view of all the facts and the mistakes which I've made - I've achieved a tremendous success.

You have mentioned some mistakes that you've made. Somebody called you "a serious man with non-serious behavior, and Milosevic - "a man of serious behavior but utterly irresponsible political actions".

It's all true. Sometimes they took my sentences out of context and misinterpreted it. But it's no doubt I made some mistakes. It was a short and unprepared campaign. Everything I did in my life was well-planned, with no improvisations, and with help from many experts. I couldn't use any of that this time. I entered a battle against tanks with a pole in my hand, trying to conquer them within a week. I even didn't have enough oil to make a "Molotov cocktail". Speaking like this I may be making a mistake now, but that's my temper, what can I do?

You also made a mistake few days ago saying that we won't be saved if the UN impose sanctions on Croatia.

It's not a very wise thing to say in front of the people who are obviously prepared to live under sanctions for years but under one condition: if the Croats got the sanctions, too. It's not very wise, but it's true. We have to do everything it takes to eliminate the sanctions, not wasting our time thinking about cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. That doesn't mean Croatia is following right policy. I said recently that Franjo Tudjman would never have started a war in Krajina if he could have had his own Milan Panic, somebody who could take away more than 30 % of the votes. Tudjman is the biggest dictator on the Balkans, although the competition is strong. OK, I might have omitted that he is "the biggest" because by saying that I made him a bigger one.

Before the elections it looked like you had a good relationship with the Army, particularly with your namesake and tennis partner, General Zivota Panic. It occurred later that the Army, although officially neutral, still leaned to the other side. The Commander of Air Forces General Bozidar Stevanovic gave an interview two days before the elections in which he announced that no Serbian patriot should take any post in your government. For many voters it was more than a clear message.

The Army promised not to get involved in politics. One could read that statement differently: if Panic would win there would be no transfer of power, so folks - don't waste your votes. This interview was printed during the election eve ban on campaigning!

Better ask some serious political analyst about the effect of that statement, and would the present authorities allow the power-takeover in case they failed in the elections. I am not the right person for that sort of analysis. Can you imagine what could have happened if I was a real politician who is not making mistakes, with a little democracy around, equal circumstances, fair television...? And with all the unfair conditions I got one third of the votes! Milosevic got about half. He didn't run much ahead of me. So, let's leave this election to history and analysts. They will diagnose the behavior of each participant. For me, it's history. I wrote in my book - a moral victory.

Are you afraid of increasing fascism? Besides Croatia, we have the most "right-wing" parliament in Europe. The economic situationis devastating, the war is going on, and biased accusations of Serbia as the aggressor could only intensify fascism.

I am a cautious optimist and I believe it wouldn't happen to us, although all the above mentioned is really very disturbing. The possibility of tragedy exists, it shouldn't be underestimated.

When you first came to Yugoslavia, you were described as "artificial lungs" for Slobodan Milosevic's policy.

I heard about those stories. I was told the same thing in the USA - and that I was used exactly for that. Without me things might have looked differently.

At the beginning, everybody was boasting that it was them who invited you to Yugoslavia, even the radicals. Who really invited you? Milosevic, Cosic, or congresswoman Helen Delich-Bently ?

It's true that Mr Cosic invited me, but Ms Bently insisted. Milosevic called at my house and at my office and asked me to come.