Issue 447 - July 15, 2000

The parliament of Yugoslavia, in a practically conspiratorial-like manner, changes the constitution in order to procure a new mandate for Slobodan Milosevic. The Montenegrin government and parliament pass measures of protection and the constitutional crisis escalates until the state as such is hanging by a thread

If Milosevic was capable of procuring 50 percent in parliament with ease, he wouldn't have changed the constitution. He isn't ideologically, on principle, turned towards such an option, however he is prepared to tear the constitution apart like a cookbook since it is outdated and since he is assuring his position for the next four years in such a manner

The Constitution amendments are prepared in the utmost secrecy and within a narrow circle of people. No important meetings have yet taken place, and the majority of ministers in the Federal Government had no idea what it was about, nor could they explain why it had to happen at that moment

"The job facing political parties here is to transform indifference into active dissatisfaction. If our political scene is bad, if the people are indifferent and if our political parties are mulling over what to do, than there is hardly much material to work with"

Among the Serbs in Kosovo today, there are three clear political options and a mass of indecisive people who are, at this moment more concerned with a mere survival than with senseless debates of their leaders