FROM THE MEDIA

Gazeta Wyborcza,
13 March 2003

By Adam Michnik

A SERB AND A EUROPEAN

Belgrade is not mourning alone. The death of Zoran Djindjic has cast black clouds over all European democracies. I met him ten years ago and was impressed by the intelligence, smartness and dynamism of that Serbian democrat. He was free of hard-line Great Serbian nationalism and an authoritarian yearning. He had a vision of modern Serbia without that strange mixture of chauvinism and communism that was associated with Slobodan Milosevic. He was a Serb and a European in the best sense of the word.

I met Djindjic again after a number of years as he took office as Serbian Prime Minister. He looked at the Serbian past and present realistically and yet with the passion of a patriot. The best case scenario of developments, he explained, was the integration of the Balkans into Europe, while the worst case scenario was separation of those incapable of integrating themselves with it. But Serbia was not going to separate. A pro-European line was sufficiently strong to have Serbia join Europe, even if the entire region failed to do so. However, he was aware that the price to pay would be heavy if Serbia decided to take that road on its own.

I asked him also if critical assessment of own acts, a rethinking of own guilt was possible in the Balkans. He answered that it was necessary and inevitable. But it would have to be a process from within, without any ultimatums from outside. It would be another matter if there were no people dealing with this issue, but they did exist. Those who were not afraid to criticize Milosevic would not be silent even then. He said that public debate was on that would let the past surface, whereupon it would be buried according all rules. That dead past would reveal many crimes and would come to haunt us without any upheavals and catharsis.

Zoran Djindjic was the pride of Serbian democracy and its invaluable asset. Such people are rare. Zoran's friends may only bite their lips in grief, as they will never again be able to talk to him over a glass of Serbian sliwowitz.