Besim ABAZI of the AIM news service, presented the following report from Pristina on April 5, 1998.
Those that know the Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic well, were not surprised by his latest political "manoeuvre" the initiative for holding the referendum in Serbia, through which the Serbian people could decide on engagement of the international community in the Albanian Serb talks concerning the solution of the Kosovo question.
That is, they were not so much surprised by the proposal itself, as much as his open defiance in relation to current tragic economic and political position of his country. The prepared scenario, which Milosevic directed again according to the usual scenario, has again been presented throughout Serbia. All-Serbian gatherings throughout Europe and the media are his main weapons. If the former have a minimal influence, or will have none at all in changing the opinions of Western governments, the media have "advanced" this time around in propagating everything that comes to Milosevic's mind. Besides the citizens supporting the holding of the referendum in "staged" polls, as they did the same for the brutal police intervention in Kosovo last month, this time around, sizeable chunks of time in the news programmes are given to renowned sportsmen, actors, singers?, who are explaining to the "simple" folk that it unconditionally must say "no" to the world, since Kosovo is an internal question of Serbia. Why are renowned personalities from public life involved ? Do Milosevic and those around him think that the referendum idea, after four years of war and many casualties suffered by Serbian families, and after all, the elections which the Socialists barely won and the fatigue of the Serbs to drop their votes in ballot boxes, without having the real insight in the "games," could be a double edged sword ? After all this, and the establishment of new punitive measures towards Yugoslavia, then the devaluation of the currency and Milorad Dodik turning his back on Yugoslav inflation, did this regime come to the decision that it must throw into the game publicly "unblemished" figures and lift the morale of its citizens for what awaits them. And that is, what they will vote for themselves even harsher sanctions, that all will call "unjustifiable" in unison. This time again, since nobody believes him anymore, Milosevic wants to present himself, at least in front of his population, as "the leader" who is acting on the political scene "with the charisma of a peacemaker and man of the people."
This Milosevic initiative on holding a referendum, has been seen in Kosovo as a new challenge to the international community. The leader of Kosov Albanians, dr. Ibrahim Rugova stated hat Milosevic's initiative is frivolous and that its only goal is blocking of the solution of the Kosovo problem on the international level. In that framework, it is estimated that calling the Referendum, Milosevic actually wants to stretch out the dialogue process even further, since, as it is said around here, he can only survive by "creating new problems." As some analysts point out, how come the main actor of the Dayton agreements is seeking the opinion of his people concerning a solution of a problem for the first time!
In that sense, the Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo is estimating that Milosevic has "concluded numerous big tasks by himself, without consulting the population, while he was making decisions only with his elite, always to the detriment of whole Yugoslavia." Vice president of the Parliamentarian party of Kosovo, Bajram Kosumi goes further and says that Kosovo " both based on the 1974. Constitution, but also based on current political achievements, is constitutionally a political and legal entity." According to Kosumi, this is a basic reason why a referendum cannot be organized outside this entity to determine its fate.
What is certain is that this time again, Milosevic is attempting to buy time. The Serbian law on the Referendum envisages that "from the moment a proposal is made, until its organization, there cannot be less that 30, or more than 90 days." The official Belgrade has less than three weeks remaining to fulfill the demands of the Contact group, because if not, he knows what awaits him new sanctions. But, some intellectual circles in Kosovo state that even this will not represent a problem for Milosevic.
Still, Kosovo analysts are of the opinion that the man who, throughout 11 years of his rule attempted to creat the image that he is supposedly leading the policy in the service of the people, through this move, wants to finally use his people. Milosevic was the one who, as the president of Serbia decided, and this without any Referendum, about the fate of FRY and all Serbs. Now, as the formal president of Yugoslavia, Milosevic is attempting to arbitrate the fate of Serbia and to find salvation for himself, neither for Serbia or Kosovo.
That is why the Referendum initiative represents one of his most daring "manoeuvres", which, if nothing else, announces new games to the last breath. His moves in gaining time are already known. The agreement on Albanain education proves this in the best manner possible. With just one signature, he painlessly "bought" almost two years.
Source: "AIM" news service, April 05, 1998