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The Game Behind the Bombs 7

by Rastislav Durman

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NOVI SAD - [AUTHOR'S NOTE - The following is the transcript of a telephone conversation. In this short conversation President Clinton calls President Milosevic . I know this just must have taken place. ---RD]

"We are living in [a] bloody, thankless world, Slobo, [aren]'t we? I [would have been] fond of some fresh fish from Italy yesterday, but do you know what bloody Italians are saying? They are not fishing any more, because Adriatic Sea is reputedly full of NATO bombs."

"You are absolutely right, Bill, about [the] ingratitude of this world. I am just listening [to] BBC World Service News Desk. No single word about us, my friend. As if Kosovo, Yugoslavia and United States of America are not part of the world any more."

"Really?"

"Well, they didn't mention us in [the] first ten minutes of [the] program. Maybe they will put us after Indonesia, India & Pakistan, [the] Hong-Kong demonstrations and Ankara, but I find it extremely hoity-toity. I [have told] you at least for a hundred times that your western way of treating journalists isn't good for you, [have]n't I? Why [don't] I have free media in Serbia? Not because I am wanton, but I [have] the knowledge."

"Well, we are castrating our media, too, but we use ..other methods [based on the] free market orientation we support. When you simply cut media, you are cutting the business, but if you do it in our way, business is going on and we have tax income."

"Yes, but in this way exists [the] risk that the truth could be smuggled to the world."

" You are kidding! Nobody could recognize the truth after [the way] Jamie Shea-nocchio re-arranges it. What is going on [on the BBC]?"

"It is fifteen minute[s into the hour] on BBC World Service News Desk and not [a] single word about us yet. Maybe you shouldn't destroy my electricity facilities. It is difficult to send E-mail or fax abroad from here now."

"I know, but we had to be sure that all information from the ground [is] proce[ss]ed from NATO HQ... I will call Blair to ask him [about the] BBC, but we should think about some other solution."

"You could bomb Bush House and say that you are sorry because of 'collateral damage.'"

"I was consider[ing] something like that, but London is too far from Kosovo and somebody could get [the] impression that our weapons are not as sophisticated as we declare. Who will buy [them] then?"

"Bill, [we are now in the] twentieth minute and nothing about us yet! Bloody Britishers, they are talking about what you did twenty years ago in Vietnam, but they ignore what you are doing in Yugoslavia now!"

"Maybe we were not trying hard enough, Slobo."

"Well, I am afraid that I can't do anything more. I have not [enough] Albanians in Kosovo ... to make something spectacular, [and] I've already vilified [the] Montenegro leadership and opposition. At least, I am [indicted] by Mrs. Arbour!..."

"I am afraid that I can't do more than I am doing now. Slobo. Didn't I bomb TV Novi Sad .. four times despite it [already having been] destroyed after [the] first attack?"

"Just a moment, Bill, they are speaking something... Nothing about us, that is a story about [the] trial [of] those Australian spies..."

"Bloody Australians, who at all cares about them? I don't know, Slobo, we should undertake something ..."

"[You mean maybe] To try with peace? I am not sure..."

"Of course .. you are not sure about peace, Slobo, it is out of [the] question, absolutely out of [the] question. We have to persist and not allow .. our recent depressions [to] distract us from creating the best of all possible worlds..."


RASTISLAV DURMAN was born in 1956 (Senta, Vojvodina, Yugoslavia.) He is married and has been living in Slovakia since 1993. He's a writer, (4 novels, over 40 radio and TV plays, more than 1000 short stories,) and TV director (over 500 hours of program). Mr. Durman graduated from University of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, 1982, with a degree in Philosophy. His postgraduate studies were at the same institution, from which he graduated in1984. Rastislav has twenty years of experience in TV media. He is one of the founders of City TV Foundation and the International Festival of Local TV Broadcasters (Head of Program and Development Dept., Kosice, Slovakia since 1995.)

This is Mr. Durman's seventh piece for The World's Magazine. His previous submission was a satirical and hypothetical look at a possible conversation between U.S. President Bill Clinton and the staff of NATO HQ in Brussels.

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