Somber Yugoslavs renounce attacks
on U.S. by 'these devil people'
By Kevin Dougherty,
Stars and Stripes
Two years ago, U.S. and other NATO military aircraft bombed Yugoslavia over its alleged
ethnic cleansing policies in Kosovo.
Yugoslavians weren’t happy about it then, and many remain bitter, especially given
the recent troubles in Macedonia with armed ethnic Albanian insurgents.
But in the wake of Tuesday’s catastrophic terrorist attack on the United States,
the mood in Belgrade and elsewhere in the country is somber. There were no public
demonstrations in support of the attack.
"There is no point for celebration," said Zoran Medic, a sales manager for a
large Yugoslav pharmaceutical company. "We cannot celebrate such an event."
"It’s not good," said Petar Nedeljkovic, who works at the Yugoslav
Aeronautical Museum near the Belgrade International Airport. "I didn’t think a
terrorist attack like that could happen in America. These people are lunatics."
In telephone interviews Wednesday, several Yugoslavians seemed convinced the attacks
were caused by Islamic fundamentalists, based on Western media reports. Nedeljkovic, a
former Yugoslav soldier, called on Christians everywhere to fight "these devil
people."
"I am a warrior," Nedeljkovic said. "I was at war against soldiers, but
never civilians. Never. I don’t like terrorism. I fought against terrorism in
Kosovo."
Nedeljkovic stayed home from work Wednesday, glued to his television set like so many
other people in Yugoslavia and the rest of the world.
Miroslav Lazanski, a well-known journalist in Yugoslavia, said everything he has heard
and seen so far indicates that his countrymen are deeply saddened by the news. If some
ultra-nationalists feel differently, he added, they’re not stating so publicly.
Terrorism "is a global problem," Lazanski said. "The attacks yesterday
are tragic for the United States, the American people and the whole world. Terrorism is
the poison of this new world we live in."
Following the attacks in New York City and Washington, security around the U.S. Embassy
in Belgrade was tightened, Lazanski said. Security at other buildings of interest to the
United States also increased.
Beyond that, life in Belgrade appeared fairly normal, with one exception, Lazanski
said. Everyone is still fixated on news reports coming out of the United States.
"People here are shocked just as they are all over the world," said Douglas
Coffman, a political officer at the U.N. liaison office in Belgrade. "It’s
dominating the front pages of every newspaper in town."
Yugoslav leaders held an emergency meeting Tuesday night to discuss the events in the
United States and their possible impact on the Balkans. In addition, Yugoslav fighter
planes were heard flying overhead Tuesday night in Belgrade — an unusual event.
"An attack like that cannot be justified in any way," said Medic, the
pharmaceutical sales manager, "but maybe it can be explained."
While Medic condemned the barbarity, he said he could see it coming. He believes the
United States bullies other nations, like his own, and that these attacks are ghastly
omens that shouldn’t be underestimated.
"It’s a brutal lesson, but it might begin to force you [the United States] to
treat some other nations better," said Medic, who claimed there were many civilian
casualties when NATO bombed Yugoslavia in 1999.
"No one is untouchable."
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