Dear friends,
A couple of months ago the Yugoslav government closed Studio B in Belgrade.
This resulted in "collateral damage" - namely, the closing of radio B292
which had been given space in Studio B. At the time I tracked down B292's
temporary office in Belgrade and interviewed two people, the Website editor
and the news editor.
The interview with B292 website editor Gordon Paunovic is below.
Jared: Why did the government shut down Studio B?
Gordan Paunovic: The main accusation was that they called for an armed
response to overthrow the government
Jared: Is that true?
Paunovic: No, of course not. On the 13th of May you had a rally on a mountain
over there and you had these people who shouted "Uprising! Uprising!" And
they had coverage of both rallies. So if you think that's a call for
uprising -
[Note: Subsequently I learned from a Montengran student whose family has been
involved in "upriings" for 200 years, that while the term "uprising" might be
taken as radical chic in English, in Serbia it it associated with a bloody
history of anti-Turkish rebellions, a history with which every Serbian child
is familiar. It is not a term used casually in Serbia.]
Jared: Well the news report I read in the West said that guns were fired in
the air and Vuk Draskovic said, "Save your bullets, we're going to need
them." Doesn't that sound like a call for civil war and -
Paunovic: These are folklore events without any political weight which are
happening every year. It is the anniversary of the Chetniks' uprising
against the Nazi's in the Second World War, on this mountain. It's a
completely folklore gathering. They always have guns.
Jared: But his comment? "Save your bullets we'll need them later?"
Paunovic: Well then let them arrest Draskovic.
Jared: Well, they closed his Studio B...Tell me, is radio B292 funded by
George Soros?
Paunovic: Funded or founded?
Jared: Funded. Given money -
Paunovic: I think it happens quite often since 1992 but it's not the only
source of money. But I'm not the right person to talk about this.
Jared: Do you know anything about -
Paunovic: There is a list of international foundations, not only Soros who -
Jared: Like what else?
Paunovic: Press Now, from Holland, Royal Swedish Foundation or something,
Royal Netherlands Foundation.
Jared: Any in the US?
Paunovic: I guess so. I don't know the details. Those things I know by
chance. But Soros Foundation, yes, definitely, but much, these days in last
year or two years much less than before.
Jared: Any money coming from foundations in the US?
Paunovic: Probably, but I don't know which Foundations. I am pretty much
pissed off in putting this kind of argumentation, like Soros equals B92.
That really comes from people who are not in a position to see what we are
doing. We will take money from anyone. To make a good production on many
levels, from radio, to TV and video productions to Internet, Books, music.
You need money.
Jared: I'll read you a statement from Gelbard. You know who Gelbard is?
Paunovic: US Special Envoy to the Balkans.
Jared: Exactly. [Jared's note: actually as of the end of 1999 Gelbard was
moved to a new position, Ambassador to Indoensia...] Do you know who Biden
is? Sen. Biden? This an exchange from the July 29th hearings on supporting
the so-called independent forces in Serbia. The hearings took place the day
after the Senate voted to give $100,000,000 to dollars to the independent
opposition. This is Sen. Biden talking:
"What can we do about inside Serbia? For example Draskovic continues to
deny access to Studio B, which is supposedly, as I understand it -- he's not?
MR. GELBARD: No, he's actually given access to Studio B -- excuse me; given
access of Studio B to Radio B-92. And my understanding is that Radio B-92,
one of the independent voices, has just reopened as Radio B-292. We want
Draskovic to open up Studio B to the rest of the opposition, and that's a
message that he'll be getting from us in the next few days."
{Jared resumes] That's how they talked about you. Any comment?
Paunovic: Can you read it to me again?
Jared: I'll read it slowly. (Reads again}
Paunovic: Hmmm. I think it's, I mean I'm not getting clear what do you want
to point? What do you want to ask me? If you want to think B92 is the voice
of Gelbard or the American administration, that has nothing to do with
reality.
Jared: Well let me ask you, does it sound like an extraordinary situation for
the government of a hostile country to be discussing in detail the use of
studio facilities in the target country. And discussing it in detail -
Paunovic: Well, to make such a conclusion that would mean that you have a
perfectly normal situation here. What you have here is the most abnormal
situation in the world which has nothing to do with the US government.
Jared: You think the situation has nothing to do with the US -
Paunovic: And another thing I don't like the way we are - Like Robin Cook
and Jamie Shea they made a huge damage to our image when Robin Cooke said in
a Press Conference which was directly broadcast on CNN "You know we helped
B92 to get satellite access" and things like that. But you know I think they
will obviously help anyone who is spreading serious criticism of the
government. So what are we going to do about it? IF they want to do it they
will.
Jared: Do you feel uncomfortable with that statement [by Gelbard and Biden]?
Paunovic: I absolutely feel uncomfortable with anyone patronizing -
Jared: You said before that the United States had nothing do with the
situation in Yugoslavia. You don't think the United States is any part of
the problem that you face in Yugoslavia?
Paunovic: Well I don't say they are not part of the problem They are a very
big part of the problem because for nine years they saw Milosevich as a
guarantor of peace and then completely changed their policy declaring him a
war criminal. If they needed the year 1999 to realize he is a war criminal I
think they are very wrong. He is a war criminal and a person who is
seriously violating for many years. He came to power in a completely
illegal way. He had a coup in the [former communist] party congress.
Jared: You said the US has been responsible for problems because of its
policy of backing Milosevich. So that's the only thing the United States has
done?
Paunovic: Are you referring to the bombing? I mean we can talk about these
things for 24 hours.
Jared: Well, it did happen. But anyway, you take money from the US government
Paunovic: (Laughs) I don't know about it. I didn't say that. Did I say it?
Jared: They say it.
Paunovic: Who?
Jared: In these hearings they say it explicitly , they say we've been giving
large sums of money to the 'independent' media. Now the main, the only name
of 'independent' media they mention is yours. They say we had to stop when
the bombing started. Since the bombing ended we've been able to start again
and we're immediately going to get $10 million dollars in there. And we have
voted 100 million. That's what they say.
Paunovic: You know, I don't know. That help was not only for B92. I mean you
have a list, practically everyone, all media that exists in Serbia that is
not controlled by the Serbian government is on that list.
Jared: Getting money from the US?
Paunovic: Exactly,.
Jared: So they're all getting it, not just B92?
Paunovic: You know it's not a question of morality or something like that
because we're in an open war with the government. We realized much before
Washington realized we had to overthrow Milosevich
Jared: Let me ask you, I understand you're broadcasting on satellite. What
satellite is that?
Paunovic: I don't know.
Jared: Is that Eurosat?
Paunovic: I am not a technical expert on the satellite. I can tell you about
the Internet
Jared: Is there somebody who handles the radio I can talk to?
Paunovic: You can talk to me about it.
Jared; So do you know what satellite it is?
Paunovic: Yes but I don't know. I don't have anybody here who can help you
about this.
Jared: IS there anybody I can call to find that out?
Paunovic: Before, the way satellite operation was done I think in
cooperation with BBC.
Jared: Ahh, so you do know. And so now?
Paunovic: Probably the same.
Jared: Have you protested the Serbian government's exclusion from Eurosat
[the European Satellite TV link]
Paunovic: We protest all those things. Everything.
[At this point Paunovic instructed me to check on their website to see about
the protest against Yugoslav exclusion from Eursat. I checked while I was on
the phone with him but I found no such protest against Yugoslav exclusion. He
promised to send me the URL to that protest, and did in fact send an email in
which he states his regrets that the URL for the protest against Yugoslav
esclusion from the Eurosat is "unavailable")
End of interview
Jared Israel
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