Serbian Ministry of Justice and Local Self-Government was satanized by the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and its leader Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica with utterly ungrounded and malicious statements concerning the bad effects of the fight against crime and corruption, allegedly slow personnel changes in the justice administration and poor initiative when bringing laws. The background of the whole affair is actually their dissatisfaction with Slobodan Milosevic's extradition to The Hague Tribunal, attempt of destabilization of the Serbian government and calling for early elections.

Symbols of the connection between the state and organized crime are Slobodan Milosevic and Radomir Markovic. Both of them are in prison today. Vojislav Kostunica was not thrilled with their arrest. In the case of Radomir Markovic, he gave him support as long as he could. For those four months most of the evidence about the connection between the former regime and organized crime was destroyed.

Vojislav Kostunica denies that connection today. But, facts are stubborn things since there is the evidence which clearly shows the connection. There was even initiative that Radomir Markovic after his dismissal from the post of head of Serbian Security Service should be appointed counselor to the Interior Minister. One of the candidates for the interior minister, now member of the Yugoslav President's cabinet, proposed the "democratic and legalistic" Security Service which was to be made up of the people against whom criminal charges have been brought and who are prosecuted for serious criminal assaults today.

So much about moral and legality.

Regarding the Gavrilovic case, the judicial organs have informed the public that not only did Gavrilovic fail to give any evidence on the connection between the current regime and crime but also he never named any official from the ruling circles.

Vojislav Kostunica claims opposite.

It would be good, if the investigation permitted, that the public be informed about the documentation the Yugoslav President's Cabinet had sent to the prosecutor's office; in that way we could clearly see who is trying to sell a pig in a poke. However, it is quite evident that President Kostunica believes more to the late Momir Gavrilovic, the man whose past is questionable and who had for years worked as an employee (not a colonel) in the most hated and infamous service in this country, than to his coalition partners.

Legalism means support of the facts and evidence, the truth, honesty and justice; not calumnies and lies. These methods do not help the fight against crime and corruption - these methods support them.

When the personnel changes in the justice administration are concerned, they are slow, but they do not depend solely on the Ministry of Justice. Legalism also means reading law a little before bringing accusations. Legal procedure itself although complicated enough is made even more complex by the megalomaniac ambitions and confusion within the DOS local sections. And despite everything, the whole affair is being brought to an end.

If we discuss the disassembling of the former regime, Vojislav Kostunica should be the last to lecture somebody. I shall here stick only to legal issues. On the Army and the work of other services, some other time.

According to the Constitution of the FRY (article 96, paragraph 1, act 4), Yugoslav president suggests candidates for the judges in the Yugoslav Constitutional Court and the Federal Court as well as for the Public Prosecutor; the proposals are to be presented before the Federal Assembly.

Although this procedure is incomparably easier and although 11 months have passed from his appointment, Vojislav Kostunica has done nothing in this field. That is why Arandjel Markicevic, who caused the events on October 5, is one of the judges in the Yugoslav Constitutional Court whereas the Federal Public Prosecutor is still Vukasin Jokanovic.

Those are the facts. Everything else is only the deafening crowd which should draw public's attention from the unmediated truth.

Minister Vladan Batic