"Serbia could lose Vojvodina”

Who the hell is this guy anyway?With such idiotic statements he is only filling SRS ballot boxes...i bet they will win absolute majority in the next provincial elections and then they should abolish Vojvodina as province completely!

Yes, and Sumadija will be independent also.. in the US:s fantasy! They sure would love to have a border crossing in Belgrade...

Come on, over 65% of the population are serbs, who would they want to be independent from?

"The conference was organized by the non-governmental organization Vojvodina Club"

- let me guess a US inspired NGO to bring thier ideals of "moneyocracy", profitrering, self interest to a select few at the expense of the many.

What a waste of money these so called NGO's are - they clearly have nothing but causing tension where none exist as their mission objective.

Typical B92 Soros! Perhaps the wise professor needs to learn what government is. I do not hear him chastising Brussles for doing everything possible to gain more central control over the EU lands! Just what the heck is this so called European trend that he professes to profess? If he is a Philosophy Professor, lord help us with his teaching(s) for the next generation for he totally misunderstands the International climate, or is simply a hypocrite paid to support anarchy for the rich so that they may rule. Shame on you B92 for giving such baffoons a loudspeaker. PS, he probably is a hardcore former Communist disgruntled about thier loss of stature and puropose in an ideal gone wrong just like that Natasha Kandic.

How predictable. The only people who believe this BS and take this guy seriously are the Albanians.

That is a clear messege for Cvele, Kate, Jovan, Princip and others. Serbia politics of hegemonism will keep on damaging Serbia itself. Then more "negotiations" to solve the issues.

Serbia's one year old constitution clearly defines both Vojvodina and Kosovo as autonomous provinces:

http://www.parlament.sr.gov.yu/content/eng/akta/ustav/ustav_ceo.asp

So I am not sure what point this guy is trying to make since the "Omnibus" law was proclaimed in 2002:

http://www.vojvodina.com/prilozi/omnibus.html

Bojan Pajtić is the Prime Minister of Vojvodina.

Also there are no political parties in Vojvodina which advocating independence for the province.

Exactly the point I have been trying to make: Serbia does not know how to handle its minorities and all the talk of autonomy for Kosova is just a farce.
I wonder how the anti-independence camp here will explain the role of the Hungarians in all of this. Are they perhaps affiliated to Al-Qaida too, or terrorists or mafia or what not? as you have been saying about K-Albanians all along?
Don't you Serbs or Serbophiles here think that given the fact that Croats, Bosnian Muslims, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Albanians, and now Hungarians and Sandzak Muslims are not satisfied with the way Serbia has treated them and want to break away should give Serbia
pause for thought and for taking a hard look at itself?

Unfortunatly, when I read statements like the professor made, I have to stop and ask myself, These modern intelectuals like our Novi Sad version here as well as the likes of Bill Clinton (Rhodes Scholar), Dr. Condi Rice (Russian Expert but cannot speak a word in Russian), Tony Bliar, etc..., it is no wonder that the world is on the brink of catastrophy. This so called philosophy professor has missed the boat completly, or is activly lending a hand in the creation and support of fascism in Europe. It is all to clear in the last 16 years that fascism is in style from Europe to the United States. Also, the brilliant Prof cites European trend in government yet fails to point out that the EU is becoming as controlling to its members as the Soviet Union was to its members. Big powers want to break Serbia and Serbians simply because they fight for freedom and slave to none. Without Serbia broken, the Fascist Western powers cannot achieve thier goals of, at the minimum, finacial enslavement.

Well well, I told you guys before that Serbia will end up in the "Belgrade Pasaluk", as I know a lot of Albanians live in Belgrade also, hmmmmm god question a?!!! Vojvodina, Sandzak, Preseva Valley, etc etc just because of Belgrades politic against other ethnicities in the region, well well well you guys will forget about Kosova so fast when you start dealing with above mentioned parts of Serbia...so do you still consider Milosevic and Sheshelj Serb heros, I wouldn't, the only serb hero for my opinion is Dindzic who was killed. He was a smart man at the wrong place in the wrong time.

Man, it sickens me when people say that Vojvodina will break off. There is absolutely nothing to suggest this, considering that the Serbs are the solid majority there.

Serbia never gets it ,nor dose it wants to. Until it corrects the horrific wrongs done to its neighbors. Of all the innocent blood it has spilled. Return all it has stolen, cheated from its neighbors and makes lasting serious effort of restitution. Serbia will go from one crises to another from one loss to another. There is a moral law ,even if Serbia thinks it has gotten away with its deceit. They are fooling them selfs and living in a delusion of there making.

Can Radivoj Stepanov guarantee a democratic independent Vojvodina?
Of course not. As a philosophy professor he above all people should be a free thinker and acknowledge not just the shortcomings and backwardness of the Constitution, but also the trend of separatism and independence that haunts the world at the moment, a trend which is in opposition to democracy.
Serb rigth-wingers are indeed fueling people like Stepanov who wants a independent Vojvodina, but to some extent Stepanov and the likes are also fueling Serb right-wingers.
A new "Science and Art academy memorandum" in the works Stepanov? Haven't you learned anything?
I share your concerns about democracy in Serbia, but I do not share your agenda.
There are alternatives.
Help build a better democratic Serbia instead. Serbs are not immune to democracy. If you want to go down in history as a genius, crack this nut.
The last thing the citizens of this world needs at the moment is Huntington disciples with self-fulfilling prophecies.

Peace :)

Won't happen! It's name is way too difficult for the rest of the world to pronounce.

This is all NATOs backing these NGOs to cut up the only resistenace (Srbija) left in Europe to the New world order.This is rubbish trying to scare the Serbs.I am from Novi Sad and do not consider it anything other than Srbija.

No wonder that this comes after the message of Kostunica that RS should join Serbia.
I don’t believe that this is going to happen. This tells there might be unhappy people in Vojvodina and that Serbian gov. should consult them too.

Vojvodina has a clear SERB majority. So this guy is saying SERBS will seek independence from Belgrade? Which planet is he from?

As a Kosovar I have nothing against Vojvodina becoming independent or always staying part of Serbia.

If you can notice from comments above you will see that the there is a conflict and solution.

Conflict: Everyone, all ex-yugoslavic countries and "provinces" or minorities want to free from Serbia/Serbs. Why?

(Serbian) Solution: It is all your fault or the US's fault.

Here is what I found interesting from an article to the right --->

Mark Pullen (Serbian):

"For me, this was the killer blow. It was during this conversation that I realised, once and for all, that there’s no way these people – this new generation of Prištinans / Prištiners – will ever accept any sort of rule from Belgrade. Why would they allow themselves to be under the yoke a nation they already ‘defeated’ eight years ago? Why would they accept Serbian nationality when the “world” (i.e. the U.S.) has spent the last eight years assuring them that they are just about to become a country? Why would they? They wouldn’t."

I would like to congratulate him for being that .01% Serbian population that ever visits the "cradle of civilization."

But Serbs are the majority in Vojvodina!
And every time I visit more of the non-Serbs leave to neighboring countries such as Hungary and Croatia for better salaries. This is not an issue.
As a matter of fact, I (ethnic Serb) just bought property in Vojvodina. I’m not from there I just like it and feel at home there.

I find the Serbian reaction, in this outlet, to this Professor ironic and funny. I see this man has lit a fire under the bastion of corruption. It always seeps out when anyone criticizes Serbian hegemony and wants out of this 'Belgrade controlled" nation. The man spoke of centrality. Centralizing power in one area--Belgrade-- was the main and only reason Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosova, and now Vojvodina wants out of this state. The concept of federalism still hasn't seeped into Belgrade leaders. "Autonomy" is no answer after these people suffered so long and probably will take some actions to bring about the reality they seek for themselves. Teni is correct is saying that it's too little too late now to build the bonds of nationhood among its many minorites. When the JNA was sent into Kosova to push out whole Albanian families out of Kosova, murdered their children, farmers and schoolteachers, burning their properties, killing their farm animals and tried to cover it up...everyone watched intently on TV the stories seeping out of Kosova. Who do you think was watching the closest? Right, the other minorities in Serbia. All wondered when will it be their turn to watch their families burn, run and hide. TV and news images of all that trauma the JNA/paramilitaries and other Serbian groups inflicted on those minority civilians didn't frighten those victims. It did its best job of putting the fear of govt. in their own Serbian people of various ethnic groups in Serbia, not Kosova, Serbia. This is what happens when power is highly compacted and concentrated in one specific area, like Belgrade. BTW, if I'm not mistaken, it is the Serbs of Vojvodina, afraid to speak their choice for independence here on B92 that appear to be the majority in Vojvodina. Also, if Bush can pronounce Afghanistan correctly, he and all others will easily get familiar with Vojvodina too.

Mr Davis I have a question please;
as you stated that untill 1999 there was two hundred thousand Serbs living in Kosova, and right now there are little over one houndred thousand. The questions is where did pro-serb camp on this site get the number like over 250000 displaced serbs out of Kosova that cannot retyrn or have not return yet to their homes in KOSOVA?
Also, as far as 1989 when 1 mil gathered in kosova polje; It seems that you sound very proud of that gathering, and you should know that from that moment on former Yugo started disintegrated. It started in Kosova and it will end with Kosova.

He once argued (had a conference) that the russian state legally doesn't exist. Apparently the posters here don't know much about the Serbs of Vojvodina!

Why should Vojvodina want independence from Serbia?

This guy must be a fool if he thinks a region with 2/3 of the population being Serbs wants to break away from Serbia.

Some of you forget that the main group that is interested in creating these kind of "scary" situations are the bureaucrats-mafiozi of Belgrade who, after using Kosova "separatists" as a "reason" to reign and get rich for the last 20 years, now, seeing that Kosova is gone, are looking for another group of "bad guys", in this case "hungarian separatists".

For as long as the people of Serbia don't build real democratic institutions, these so-called politicians will reign over them indefinitely, always running after immaginary enemies.

Interesting how half a dozen Serb posters here have pointed out that the article is ridiculous because 70% of people in Vojvodina are Serb, without drawing the same logical conclusion about Kosova and its 90% Albanian population. Or should we interpret these statements as final consent to independence?

Since when is this news!? More B92 trashy journalism.

Srboslav,

I read similar comments regarding Montenegro as well, but it happened!!!

I realise that right of free speech is essential. However B92 is overstepping the line.
They are publishing a story which has no major backing what so ever. No movements that suggest that this story is close to any truth, and then adding a hard hitting title such as the one they gave this story. This is appauling. An equivalent to this would be stating 'Iran to invade Iraq' (because a few privatly owned trucks amassing at the border).

To add to all this there are seperatist movements all over the world (eg Spain) and it is not because the people are misstreated but because it is in human nature. Everybody wants to be a politican, hero or, there I say it in the case of Kosovo, a criminal.

"I would like to congratulate him for being that .01% Serbian population that ever visits the "cradle of civilization."

This is a canard that is easy to prove false. There are approximately 10 million Serbs (not just in Serbia but worldwide). Until 1999 there was 200,000 Serbs living in Kosovo - so that is at least 2% to start with. Also approx. million Serbs were present at the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1989 - 10% of all Serbs.

Dear Lenard-

A large amount of text written in capital letters is tantamount to shouting.

We encourage our vistors to address each other respectfully and constructively.

Regards,

B92

Hey B92 where is the rest of my COMMENTS IN CAPTION... 7

"Mark Pullen (Serbian)"

Wrong! He is British and not ethnic Serb by blood or birth at all.

He only came to live and work in Serbia a few years ago - to study Serbs and write about them. Unfortunately these are the types that come too often to Serbia - propagandists, spies, and sociologist writers - not the kind of foreigners Serbia needs: investors, entrepreneurs, builders, traders, people of action and vision, etc.

That is a clear messege for Cvele, Kate, Jovan, Princip and others. Serbia politics of hegemonism will keep on damaging Serbia itself. Then more "negotiations" to solve the issues.

Well well, I told you guys before that Serbia will end up in the "Belgrade Pasaluk", as I know a lot of Albanians live in Belgrade also, hmmmmm god question a?!!! Vojvodina, Sandzak, Preseva Valley, etc etc just because of Belgrades politic against other ethnicities in the region, well well well you guys will forget about Kosova so fast when you start dealing with above mentioned parts of Serbia...so do you still consider Milosevic and Sheshelj Serb heros, I wouldn't, the only serb hero for my opinion is Dindzic who was killed. He was a smart man at the wrong place in the wrong time.

Serbia never gets it ,nor dose it wants to. Until it corrects the horrific wrongs done to its neighbors. Of all the innocent blood it has spilled. Return all it has stolen, cheated from its neighbors and makes lasting serious effort of restitution. Serbia will go from one crises to another from one loss to another. There is a moral law ,even if Serbia thinks it has gotten away with its deceit. They are fooling them selfs and living in a delusion of there making.

Exactly the point I have been trying to make: Serbia does not know how to handle its minorities and all the talk of autonomy for Kosova is just a farce.
I wonder how the anti-independence camp here will explain the role of the Hungarians in all of this. Are they perhaps affiliated to Al-Qaida too, or terrorists or mafia or what not? as you have been saying about K-Albanians all along?
Don't you Serbs or Serbophiles here think that given the fact that Croats, Bosnian Muslims, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Albanians, and now Hungarians and Sandzak Muslims are not satisfied with the way Serbia has treated them and want to break away should give Serbia
pause for thought and for taking a hard look at itself?

Who the hell is this guy anyway?With such idiotic statements he is only filling SRS ballot boxes...i bet they will win absolute majority in the next provincial elections and then they should abolish Vojvodina as province completely!

How predictable. The only people who believe this BS and take this guy seriously are the Albanians.

No wonder that this comes after the message of Kostunica that RS should join Serbia.
I don’t believe that this is going to happen. This tells there might be unhappy people in Vojvodina and that Serbian gov. should consult them too.

As a Kosovar I have nothing against Vojvodina becoming independent or always staying part of Serbia.

If you can notice from comments above you will see that the there is a conflict and solution.

Conflict: Everyone, all ex-yugoslavic countries and "provinces" or minorities want to free from Serbia/Serbs. Why?

(Serbian) Solution: It is all your fault or the US's fault.

Here is what I found interesting from an article to the right --->

Mark Pullen (Serbian):

"For me, this was the killer blow. It was during this conversation that I realised, once and for all, that there’s no way these people – this new generation of Prištinans / Prištiners – will ever accept any sort of rule from Belgrade. Why would they allow themselves to be under the yoke a nation they already ‘defeated’ eight years ago? Why would they accept Serbian nationality when the “world” (i.e. the U.S.) has spent the last eight years assuring them that they are just about to become a country? Why would they? They wouldn’t."

I would like to congratulate him for being that .01% Serbian population that ever visits the "cradle of civilization."

Yes, and Sumadija will be independent also.. in the US:s fantasy! They sure would love to have a border crossing in Belgrade...

Come on, over 65% of the population are serbs, who would they want to be independent from?

"The conference was organized by the non-governmental organization Vojvodina Club"

- let me guess a US inspired NGO to bring thier ideals of "moneyocracy", profitrering, self interest to a select few at the expense of the many.

What a waste of money these so called NGO's are - they clearly have nothing but causing tension where none exist as their mission objective.

Why should Vojvodina want independence from Serbia?

This guy must be a fool if he thinks a region with 2/3 of the population being Serbs wants to break away from Serbia.

This is all NATOs backing these NGOs to cut up the only resistenace (Srbija) left in Europe to the New world order.This is rubbish trying to scare the Serbs.I am from Novi Sad and do not consider it anything other than Srbija.

Interesting how half a dozen Serb posters here have pointed out that the article is ridiculous because 70% of people in Vojvodina are Serb, without drawing the same logical conclusion about Kosova and its 90% Albanian population. Or should we interpret these statements as final consent to independence?

Srboslav,

I read similar comments regarding Montenegro as well, but it happened!!!

Mr Davis I have a question please;
as you stated that untill 1999 there was two hundred thousand Serbs living in Kosova, and right now there are little over one houndred thousand. The questions is where did pro-serb camp on this site get the number like over 250000 displaced serbs out of Kosova that cannot retyrn or have not return yet to their homes in KOSOVA?
Also, as far as 1989 when 1 mil gathered in kosova polje; It seems that you sound very proud of that gathering, and you should know that from that moment on former Yugo started disintegrated. It started in Kosova and it will end with Kosova.

Typical B92 Soros! Perhaps the wise professor needs to learn what government is. I do not hear him chastising Brussles for doing everything possible to gain more central control over the EU lands! Just what the heck is this so called European trend that he professes to profess? If he is a Philosophy Professor, lord help us with his teaching(s) for the next generation for he totally misunderstands the International climate, or is simply a hypocrite paid to support anarchy for the rich so that they may rule. Shame on you B92 for giving such baffoons a loudspeaker. PS, he probably is a hardcore former Communist disgruntled about thier loss of stature and puropose in an ideal gone wrong just like that Natasha Kandic.

Serbia's one year old constitution clearly defines both Vojvodina and Kosovo as autonomous provinces:

http://www.parlament.sr.gov.yu/content/eng/akta/ustav/ustav_ceo.asp

So I am not sure what point this guy is trying to make since the "Omnibus" law was proclaimed in 2002:

http://www.vojvodina.com/prilozi/omnibus.html

Bojan Pajtić is the Prime Minister of Vojvodina.

Also there are no political parties in Vojvodina which advocating independence for the province.

Can Radivoj Stepanov guarantee a democratic independent Vojvodina?
Of course not. As a philosophy professor he above all people should be a free thinker and acknowledge not just the shortcomings and backwardness of the Constitution, but also the trend of separatism and independence that haunts the world at the moment, a trend which is in opposition to democracy.
Serb rigth-wingers are indeed fueling people like Stepanov who wants a independent Vojvodina, but to some extent Stepanov and the likes are also fueling Serb right-wingers.
A new "Science and Art academy memorandum" in the works Stepanov? Haven't you learned anything?
I share your concerns about democracy in Serbia, but I do not share your agenda.
There are alternatives.
Help build a better democratic Serbia instead. Serbs are not immune to democracy. If you want to go down in history as a genius, crack this nut.
The last thing the citizens of this world needs at the moment is Huntington disciples with self-fulfilling prophecies.

Peace :)

Won't happen! It's name is way too difficult for the rest of the world to pronounce.

He once argued (had a conference) that the russian state legally doesn't exist. Apparently the posters here don't know much about the Serbs of Vojvodina!

Man, it sickens me when people say that Vojvodina will break off. There is absolutely nothing to suggest this, considering that the Serbs are the solid majority there.

Unfortunatly, when I read statements like the professor made, I have to stop and ask myself, These modern intelectuals like our Novi Sad version here as well as the likes of Bill Clinton (Rhodes Scholar), Dr. Condi Rice (Russian Expert but cannot speak a word in Russian), Tony Bliar, etc..., it is no wonder that the world is on the brink of catastrophy. This so called philosophy professor has missed the boat completly, or is activly lending a hand in the creation and support of fascism in Europe. It is all to clear in the last 16 years that fascism is in style from Europe to the United States. Also, the brilliant Prof cites European trend in government yet fails to point out that the EU is becoming as controlling to its members as the Soviet Union was to its members. Big powers want to break Serbia and Serbians simply because they fight for freedom and slave to none. Without Serbia broken, the Fascist Western powers cannot achieve thier goals of, at the minimum, finacial enslavement.

Vojvodina has a clear SERB majority. So this guy is saying SERBS will seek independence from Belgrade? Which planet is he from?

But Serbs are the majority in Vojvodina!
And every time I visit more of the non-Serbs leave to neighboring countries such as Hungary and Croatia for better salaries. This is not an issue.
As a matter of fact, I (ethnic Serb) just bought property in Vojvodina. I’m not from there I just like it and feel at home there.

Some of you forget that the main group that is interested in creating these kind of "scary" situations are the bureaucrats-mafiozi of Belgrade who, after using Kosova "separatists" as a "reason" to reign and get rich for the last 20 years, now, seeing that Kosova is gone, are looking for another group of "bad guys", in this case "hungarian separatists".

For as long as the people of Serbia don't build real democratic institutions, these so-called politicians will reign over them indefinitely, always running after immaginary enemies.

Since when is this news!? More B92 trashy journalism.

I realise that right of free speech is essential. However B92 is overstepping the line.
They are publishing a story which has no major backing what so ever. No movements that suggest that this story is close to any truth, and then adding a hard hitting title such as the one they gave this story. This is appauling. An equivalent to this would be stating 'Iran to invade Iraq' (because a few privatly owned trucks amassing at the border).

To add to all this there are seperatist movements all over the world (eg Spain) and it is not because the people are misstreated but because it is in human nature. Everybody wants to be a politican, hero or, there I say it in the case of Kosovo, a criminal.

I find the Serbian reaction, in this outlet, to this Professor ironic and funny. I see this man has lit a fire under the bastion of corruption. It always seeps out when anyone criticizes Serbian hegemony and wants out of this 'Belgrade controlled" nation. The man spoke of centrality. Centralizing power in one area--Belgrade-- was the main and only reason Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosova, and now Vojvodina wants out of this state. The concept of federalism still hasn't seeped into Belgrade leaders. "Autonomy" is no answer after these people suffered so long and probably will take some actions to bring about the reality they seek for themselves. Teni is correct is saying that it's too little too late now to build the bonds of nationhood among its many minorites. When the JNA was sent into Kosova to push out whole Albanian families out of Kosova, murdered their children, farmers and schoolteachers, burning their properties, killing their farm animals and tried to cover it up...everyone watched intently on TV the stories seeping out of Kosova. Who do you think was watching the closest? Right, the other minorities in Serbia. All wondered when will it be their turn to watch their families burn, run and hide. TV and news images of all that trauma the JNA/paramilitaries and other Serbian groups inflicted on those minority civilians didn't frighten those victims. It did its best job of putting the fear of govt. in their own Serbian people of various ethnic groups in Serbia, not Kosova, Serbia. This is what happens when power is highly compacted and concentrated in one specific area, like Belgrade. BTW, if I'm not mistaken, it is the Serbs of Vojvodina, afraid to speak their choice for independence here on B92 that appear to be the majority in Vojvodina. Also, if Bush can pronounce Afghanistan correctly, he and all others will easily get familiar with Vojvodina too.

"I would like to congratulate him for being that .01% Serbian population that ever visits the "cradle of civilization."

This is a canard that is easy to prove false. There are approximately 10 million Serbs (not just in Serbia but worldwide). Until 1999 there was 200,000 Serbs living in Kosovo - so that is at least 2% to start with. Also approx. million Serbs were present at the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1989 - 10% of all Serbs.

Hey B92 where is the rest of my COMMENTS IN CAPTION... 7

Dear Lenard-

A large amount of text written in capital letters is tantamount to shouting.

We encourage our vistors to address each other respectfully and constructively.

Regards,

B92

"Mark Pullen (Serbian)"

Wrong! He is British and not ethnic Serb by blood or birth at all.

He only came to live and work in Serbia a few years ago - to study Serbs and write about them. Unfortunately these are the types that come too often to Serbia - propagandists, spies, and sociologist writers - not the kind of foreigners Serbia needs: investors, entrepreneurs, builders, traders, people of action and vision, etc.