|
Defiant Milosevic Thumbs Nose At World, Rebuilds His SPS Party
by Viktoria Stegic
BELGRADE (AFP) - A defiant Slobodan Milosevic thumbed his nose at the world and returned to the Yugoslav political stage this weekend, giving an anti-Western tirade as he was reelected head of his Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS).
Despite a split in his party's ranks and heavy criticism before the SPS conference, Milosevic - the sole candidate - swept the leadership with 86.5% of the votes, a party official said.
"The SPS has, more than anything, proved its unity at this conference," Zivorad Igic, a high-ranking SPS official said. "We discussed openly and we accepted the fact that we are, nonetheless, in the opposition."
Milosevic did not change his previous rhetoric, directing his criticism towards the West and the new powers in charge in Yugoslavia.
He said the media had been bought out by western intelligence and that the SPS was the main target of their attacks, according to a Tanjug news agency reporter who was allowed in.
"The main objective of our country's enemies is the disintegration of the Socialist Party," said Milosevic, who founded the SPS 10 years ago.
He also accused the West of buying out Yugoslav citizens, notably in the Montenegro, Kosovo and Vojvodina.
Vojvodina, a province in northern Yugoslavia, has 350,000 ethnic Hungarians living within its borders.
Milosevic, who was swept from power by an October 5th popular revolt, assured the 2,300 delegates that the SPS could take over leading the country again, in particular after next month's parliamentary elections.
There are "huge opportunities for the SPS in the December elections," a conference document attributed to Milosevic said.
Igic also looked confidently towards the elections, saying, "The atmosphere was really good with a lot of optimism.... We expect to carry a lot of seats" in Serbia.
The federation parliament is considered the real seat of power in the Yugoslav Federation in which tiny Montenegro is a junior partner.
As the conference ended early Sunday, Zoran Andjelkovic was reelected SPS secretary general.
He had taken over the job after a popular uprising in October ousted Milosevic from the Yugoslav presidency and forced the resignation of then secretary general Gorica Gajevic.
Apart from a reporter from the state news agency Tanjug, only journalists from media still in the hands of the SPS were authorized to cover the conference.
Milosevic said the main weakness of the SPS was that it did not have enough "young people, women and peasants" as members.
He denounced defectors from his party as "weaklings" and said many of his close collaborators had jumped ship as a "traumatic response to September's electoral defeat."
Two high-profile members have formed new parties since Milosevic lost the September presidential elections to reformist Vojislav Kostunica.
The conference was the party's first step in seeking a return to power, seven weeks after Milosevic reluctantly handed power to new Yugoslav President Vijislav Kostunica.
Many party hardliners remain on the central committee voting list, including Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, former prime minister Mirko Marjanovic and Nikola Sainovic, one of Milosevic's closest allies.
The final document, which was seen by some outside journalists, contains no criticism of the SPS's election defeat, attributed by many SPS to an alliance with a neo-Communist party led by Milosevic's wife.
|
