Saturday, June 12, 1999.

What do you think about the peace deal that Milosovich agreed to?

Sam from hug.co.nz

    Q: What do you think about the peace deal that Milosovich agreed to? Do you think he will hold his word? Seeing as these conditions are more stringent than the initial peace plan he rejected, do you think this will cause a huge and popular backlash against him?

    I agree that he could have agreed to it earlier, having in mind what we lost with the bombing and a minute difference between the two agreements. As for holding his word, he will do whatever necessary to stay on power. Today this may be a signature, tomorrow it could be something else. He has no other interest in mind but his own staying on power. With the indictment and NATO troops just some 300 km from his hometown he may become careful and hold his word but there's no way to know for certain? As for the huge and popular backlash against him - that is also unpredictable.

    In 1996, before the protest, there was no indication that something like that could happen. But it did. I don't think that people will stand against him tomorrow, but after some time of sobering and grasping the full scale of all that has happen, including the reasons and responsible ones, there has to be some sort of protest. Sons will come home in body bags; there will be no work, food, home for a great number of people throughout Serbia. Will have foreign troops in Kosovo and zero Serbs there. Will it overthrow Milosevic? I can only hope so. But Yugoslavia is still in the state of war. And people are scared for their own and lives of their families.

    Q: Can you see a possibility of democracy if there is a new leader, considering economic aid to rebuild Serbia will probably only come if a democratic leader is elected. If this is the case will you still feel the same way toward the NATO campaign?

    I can not say that Milosevic is the only obstacle towards democracy in Serbia, but that he is the biggest one - which's true. Implementation of true democracy is a long way ahead, but a great step towards is the election of a democratic leader. 50 years of communism and 10 years of Milosevic dictatorship won't be erased in just one day. As for the NATO campaign: it will never be regarded as something that liberated us from Milosevic. The bombing of Serbia was totally wrong and it destroyed everything democratic forces built in last ten years. That maybe wasn't much, but it was the bet we could do. There are strong hostilities towards the governments of NATO now, and it won't disappear that easy.