Who Murders In Serbia?

For me the essential thing is the existence of a center of power that decides who lives and who does not, and the existence of teams that can be engaged for this purpose

By M. VESIC

Reporter, Banja Luka, Srpska, B-H, August 29, 2001

After the appearance of a news article, citing a source from the cabinet of the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Kostunica, published by Blic, stating that murdered former Security Service officer Momir Gavrilovic spoke with Kostunica's associates hours before his murder, a true media war of official statements ensued between the who main centers of power in the country. The first bullet "shot" by the Democratic Party hit Aleksandar Tijanic, Kostunica's media advisor, whom Djindjic's democrats "recognized" as Blic's source and whom they indirectly accused of "spreading false news" since no concrete evidence was offered as proof. Tijanic did not fail to reciprocate.

"For me the essential thing is the existence of a center of power that decides who lives and who does not, and the existence of teams that can be engaged for this purpose. That is the essence of the problem and therein lies the accountability of the Serbian government, which has not fulfilled a single one of its promises. There can be no normal Serbia without fighting corruption and without discovering who murders throughout Serbia. Everything else is a mirage created by the strictly controlled media," Tijanic tells "Reporter".

Reporter: Is there a division into Kostunica's and Djindjic's media?

Tijanic: There is no such division because Beba, Kiza [Djindic], Vesa, Ceda [Jovanovic] and others control almost all Serbian media through the Serbian government's Bureau for Communications more effectively and subtly than Milosevic, and there are journalists and media who are quick to seal loyalty pacts because they know very well that the group gathered around Djindjic is incomparably more dangerous for them than the group gathered around Kostunica. So there is no division into Kostunica's and Djindjic's media but a division into professionals and others.

Even prior to Gavrilovic's murder, serious accusations against the Serbian government were made from the ranks of the Democratic Party of Serbia. The sharpest was that of parliamentary deputy Dusan Prorokovic in his open letter; however, the public was not given concrete names of state officials who are abusing their powers and who allegedly have ties with crime. Why is that?

It's public knowledge as to who traveled by private plane on vacations and official trips to Monaco, Germany and France, who represented himself as the empowered negotiator of the Serbian government, who has bodyguards with a criminal past. In normal countries a serious police investigation would be launched on the basis of such information while they are demanding that this investigation be concluded.

You're not mentioning concrete names, either; you say it's public knowledge. Why don't you just say it?

Djindjic traveled by private plane.

In your opinion, if the cabinet of President Kostunica or the District Prosecutor's Office named the names of the people who Gavrilovic claimed had ties to crime, would this narrow the circle of suspects for his murder?

All material from that meeting is with the public prosecutor. I have not seen it and I don't know what names are mentioned in it. Besides, it is not evidence but a written statement; therefore, it is either a record of the meeting that took place or Gavrilovic himself wrote something and turned it in.

Translated by Kosovo Daily News