Military

DATE=10/19/00

TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT

TITLE=YUGOSLAVIA / WEST CQ

NUMBER=5-47198

BYLINE=EVE CONANT

DATELINE=BELGRADE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

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INTRO: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has invited Yugoslavia back into the body. The O-S-C-E is following in the footsteps of the International Monetary Fund and other Western organizations that have been making overtures to Belgrade after the fall of Slobodan Milosevic. During his failed re-election campaign, Mr. Milosevic described his opponent, now president, Vojislav Kostunica as - a NATO lackey - a prop of the West employed to undermine the Yugoslav Federation. Correspondent Eve Conant talked with Serbs in Belgrade about how they feel about the West, and the prospects for re-establishing relations with the NATO countries that bombed Serbia in 1999.

TEXT: There is a place known as the "American Center" in downtown Belgrade, located off a central square in a cobblestone pedestrian walkway. The windows to the American center were smashed on the first night of NATO airstrikes in March of last year. If you were to peek through the wooden boards that crisscross its facade, you could see there is nothing left inside, just broken glass and graffiti on the walls reading - NATO killers - and other anti-Western slogans.

But even with this evidence and the 78-days of bombs that rained over Yugoslavia, most Serbs will say there is no extreme anti-Western sentiment here.

Twenty-year-old Natasa Balazin strolls with her boyfriend past the destroyed American center. She is wearing blue jeans and a NIKE sweatshirt.

/// ACT BALAZIN ///

I think that we should make contacts with not only America, but also other countries of Europe. Well, there is a little bit of rage because of what happened last year. But I think maybe we should put that behind us because everybody is at fault for that - America, maybe even us a bit.

/// END ACT ///

Her boyfriend, 21-year old Ivan Nikodijevic is equally ready for an end to the political and economic isolation which characterized the Milosevic era.

/// ACT NIKODIJEVIC IN SERBIAN AND FADE ///

We should forget the past and look forward. We should reestablish relations with America, perhaps later, first with European countries. I do think Milosevic is to a great extent to blame for things that have happened, although I do think the West holds certain responsibility for the way that we live now.

/// END ACT ///

/// OPT /// Banker Angelko Preda says he hopes there will be changes, not only in Yugoslavia, but also in the United States.

/// ACT PREDA IN SERBIAN AND FADE ///

Time heals everything, we have had changes here and I hope there will be changes in America as well, because this current President Clinton is a bit "odd" to say the least. Time heals everything and the situation must change.

/// END ACT // END OPT ///

Political commentator and journalist Bratislav Grubacic says ousted leader Slobodan Milosevic did not succeed in permanently souring relations with the West.

/// ACT GRUBABIC ///

There are a lot of people who think there are some negative feelings among the Serbs because of NATO air strikes, particularly to the United States, and its true that Milosevic and his media system were trying to convince Serbs to be very much anti-American and anti-West. But its difficult to say that people here are anti-West. Even if you go out onto the streets, on the surface level, if you watch T-V programs here or listen to radio stations, one can see that Serbia is very much westernized. In a way, Milosevic's attempts to try to isolate the country from the West and United States were in practice in vain. He managed to do it economically, he managed to do it on the level of diplomatic relations, but he could not make people isolated from western culture. People here, vast majority of people here, do see the future of Serbia within the West, particularly within the European Union.

/// END ACT ///

Western leaders say key financial sanctions against Yugoslavia will remain in place until Mr. Milosevic, who has been indicted by a U-N court for alleged war crimes in Kosovo, exits the Serbian political scene. But the European Union and the United States have already lifted an oil embargo and a ban on commercial flights.

/// OPT /// Zoran Djindjic is a leading figure in the democratic opposition and was campaign manager for President Kostunica. He told V-O-A it is time to move past emotions, towards practical economic and political relations with the West.

/// ACT DJINDJIC ///

We want to be part of the democratic world again, and we want to do this very quickly. We want a strategic partnership with America and this is our political decision as the majority in this country, despite emotions of the past. We have our national interests and our national interests are to be a part of the democratic world. Without America, that would not be possible.

/// END ACT // END OPT ///

Most Serbs say they do not see President Kostunica as an overly pro-Western leader, or a man who, as Mr. Milosevic earlier alleged - would sell off Yugoslavia to the West. President Kostunica has condemned the West for the NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia and throughout his election campaign took a cautious position on reestablishing ties. But he said if elected, Serbia would become in his words - a dull, European country - an odd campaign slogan but music to the ears of Serbs fed up with sanctions and restrictions. (SIGNED)

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