Montenegro and Macedonia stabbed The Hourglass in the back. Yesterday, on Thursday, when we recorded all the interviews, they recognized Kosovo’s independence, so we couldn’t ask our guests what they thought of this most shameful of acts in diplomatic history since the Munich Agreement. I’ll try to act as a political analyst for a minute, and ponder upon the meaning of diplomacy, law, justice, Orthodoxy and other values in the name of which our state, personified in the incomprehensible foreign minister Vuk Jeremić, had expelled the Montenegrin ambassador from Serbia.
I’ll just list a few things, and you try and figure out the logic behind them.
Scene one – Vuk Jeremić is celebrating the victory in the UN as if he was at Ceca’s folk concert, with his hands up in the air, he’s celebrating a historical success of Serbian diplomacy known only to himself, playing the fool at which the lady ambassador of Swaziland looks distrustfully. The victory wouldn’t be so sweet if you didn’t show your teeth. Being that his boss had received an award in Germany, shook hands with Sarkozy, it wouldn’t be wise or smart of us to rejoice in Berlin or Paris. That’s what our Montenegrin brothers are there for – small, smaller than us, tiny bugs so to say, which can easily be squashed with Jeremić’s shiny little shoes. Jeremić immediately started calling the Montenegrin government – regime. And he accused this regime of prepossessing the decision of the International court, as if that court was a Serbian court that obeys everybody’s orders.
Jeremić announced that he, i.e. Serbia, will keep taking strong measures, because, Jeremić argues, there is no reason to recognize Kosovo in a moment when the Court’s decision is expected. I suppose this means that Serbia will from now on expel the ambassador from any country that recognizes Kosovo. This means that the Macedonian ambassador should start packing his bags, although it remains unclear why he wasn’t told to do so at the same time as the Montenegrin ambassador. How is it that we show understanding for the Macedonians but not for Montenegrins? Is it because we don’t want to mess with a state that has a lot of Albanians who could rouse their brothers in southern Serbia?
At the same time when Vuk Jeremić expelled the Montenegrin ambassador, the government decided to return our ambassadors to those states from which they were recalled after the recognition of Kosovo. Could it be that Cvetković broke away, flew the coop to become a normal politician, or is this maybe Tadić’s brilliant mind at work? That’s a strategy of one political party, the DS i.e. he himself, being the good cop and the bad cop at the same time – with one hand, which is Jeremić, he slaps those weaker than himself, while with the other hand, Cvetković, he embraces humanity. The president has become a real small time crook, who is making numerous pointless, contradictory decisions that should impress the not-so-bright and bring back the virtual dignity of a defeated people. Anyway, Tadić can do whatever he wants; he’s not obstructed by wits, statesman’s wisdom and especially not by a normal opposition. Here, opposition doesn’t exist, and it’s not likely to appear anytime soon. Years will pass until we politically reach 1780, when the British Parliament discussed for days Dunning’s resolution which argued that the power of the Crown grew to unexpected heights and ought to be diminished.
Montenegro decided not to strike back with its diplomatic punch, our ambassador Lutovac will remain in Podgorica, and so we are left alone on the stage by the Montenegrin diplomacy to play the last remaining Balkan clowns. Maybe it would be better if Lutovac was to return to Belgrade, because the way he defended Belgrade’s decision is pitiful and unfitting for this man. He said that we are especially severe towards Montenegro because he, Lutovac, knows for certain that the majority of the citizens of Montenegro do not support this decision. He, a foreign ambassador, takes upon himself to interpret the will of the people who are his hosts, the people who had supported their government for years, whatever that government may be – it’s theirs, not Lutovac’s , not ours.
Finally, Jeremić suggested changing the Action plan for Kosovo, the elements of which are still not known to anyone. The only thing we know is that the pro-European Tadić is reviving Koštunica’s Action plan by which the ambassadors were recalled, trains stopped, embassies and border posts with Kosovo burned down. Tomorrow is Saturday, maybe after the Montenegrins stabbed us in the back the police will show a greater amount of understanding for the Nazis, racists and football fans who will perhaps still gather in front of the Faculty of Philosophy, only now they won’t be fascists but young people deeply affected by another injustice their own people had to suffer. Then the police will follow them to the Montenegrin embassy, so the children wouldn’t get lost, because they will be blinded by anguish. Maybe tomorrow Tadić will have his own little February 21st. If only he would just say – it is not in my jurisdiction, so we can end the story of a pro-European president.
Translated by Ivica Pavlović
Peščanik, Radio B92, 10.10.2008.
