The Western aid to Yugoslavia is being delayed for an unspecified time. It looks like a $1.28bn loan, agreed at the latest conference of donor countries, is not going to reach Yugoslavia. Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, the chief initiator of Slobodan Milosevic’s controversial extradition, has already admitted that he is “shocked with the farce called the Western aid.” Really, out of $300m of humanitarian aid, which are to have arrived in Yugoslavia the coming August, as little as $75m may arrive, and not in August, but in November at the best. The rest of this amount will be suspended by the international community to repay the debts of the former Yugoslavia.
“We did not put forward any preconditions for Milosevic’s handover to the Hague and thus showed readiness to being integrated into the international community,” said Mr. Djindjic in an interview to the “Der Spiegel” German weekly. “It turns out, however, that the international community does not want to meet us halfway,” Mr. Djindjic complained. He warned that if Serbia did not immediately get the financial aid, we coud see demonstration and unrest being there as early as in September, since “we will not be able to deliver on our promises.”
It looks like the Serbian premier has grown aware of the fact that he was to quick to celebrate the victory. It is clear that the Milosevic handover is not enough for the West and that this should be consolidated by a dozen of other “military criminals.” Moreover, the state machinery is supposed to be cleared of the former president’s supporters (which is easier said than done). All in all, there should be guarantees that the Serbian ruling elite is completely free from “nationalistic elements.” Only then, given favourable circumstances, a long-awaited aid may finally come in.
Generally speaking, the Serbian government seems to have only one way out of this predicament – to keep on pressing for cooperation with EU and USA (often, even if “unilaterally”). The ruling coalition of Democratic Opposition of Serbia is too tied up with the West. And only the West will manage to save them from their compatriots’ anger in the future.
SERGEI STEPHANOV
PRAVDA.Ru
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