Issue 491 - May 18, 2001

The international donor conference, which is about to provide us with approximately one billion dollars, is postponed for another month. In the meantime, the international community is expecting the FRY authorities to elicit a law on co-operation with the Hague Tribunal, which would make Milosevic’s extradition officially permitted. All this appears to have been scheduled during Kostunica’s recent visit to the USA. He, for example, insisted on the prolongation of time needed for the preparation of the law, but they told him that, in that case, they would also need time to raise the money.

Marija Milosevic, daughter of the former president of Serbia and FRY Slobodan Milosevic, hasn’t been answering nor denying the most diverse, even malicious reports about her and her relations with her environment. Even when not only lies but also some very old photographs appeared in the media, which don’t have much to do with Marija Milosevic today. After a few years of silence, Marija has decided to talk to VREME about herself, her father and all the events that have left a permanent mark on her and her entire family in the last few months.

Certainly the most frequently repeated impression of last week’s visit by FRY President Vojislav Kostunica to the USA is that the new governments on both sides inherited from their predecessors problems which they are now forced to confront

Facing cold disapproval from the DOS Coalition General Ph.D. Vuk Obradovic opted to defend himself – all or nothing. Special combat units have been introduced, a conspiracy theory is being pieced together and intervention by the All Mighty is being sought. To use military terminology, this is strategic defense with tactical offensive sorties

The decision on the co-operation with The Hague is far too serious to be reached in a democratic way, and the responsibility for its making must be on the part of the democratically elected elite