"We are very divided society. Anyone says what they want and does what he wants," says Davinic.

Most of all, warns Davinic, independence of Kosovo could lead to partition of its northern part, break up of southern Serbia and Bosnia, unless Serbia wins a victory with its own military reform.

Say Davinic, in an interview:

In spring of 2004, political and military leadership of Serbia was informed that Albanian nationalists have a goal to declare independence of Kosovo by illegal means. That analysis was done by the Military security agency... So a new concept of defense was suggested, so that by strengthening and modernizing the Army the Albanian separatism could be thwarted. However, I dd not get the financial support for this plan and Albanians have declared independence and are in a position to, in few months, demand secession of the Presevo Valley.

	Prvoslav Davinic (left), Colonel Milojko Brzakovic, Karl-Heinz Munzner, General Manager of NATO's Supply and Maintenance Agency (NAMSA).

You have the information about offers Washington and Brussels made to Belgrade so that a deal on Kosovo could be reached. Could you reveal the details of these Western offers to the Serbian government?

Back in 2005, in the West there was talk that a deal should be offered to Belgrade so it can choose a loss of entire Kosovo and joining of EU and NATO. That offer was made, unofficially, several times later as well. It was a concrete offer: "You loose Kosovo, but you have a chance to amortize the loss by getting $10 billion in help which you don't have to return and a speedy entrance into EU and independent Kosovo you need not recognize.

In middle of June 2007, unofficially was sought from our side to clarify whether we'd agree that Kosovo, instead of a seat in UN, gets an observer status so that Serbs in the north may have security because Albanians would be told not to enter the area. This looked too much like partition of Kosovo, so that the offer was never even talked about. Instead  , we offered a Hong Kong variant, which was a very good idea, but no serious discussion was made on that because of lack of time, limited negotiations and unwillingness by the Albanian side to talk anything else but independence. Because of the Albanian position, West offered Serbia, during mid January 2008 a stabilization deal and postponement of Kosovo's independence declaration until after Russian elections in the mid March.

How did Belgrade react to this offer?

This offer created significant differences in interpretation. While one side held a view that all this was a pure commerce, others thought that these are two distinct matters. In order that the US and EU do not get embarrassed for rejection of that deal, Netherlands initiated a demand that Belgrade improves its dealings with the Hague tribunal so the offer died with it. Regrettably, we lost Kosovo temporarily. What remains to be seen is what will happen with our approach towards Europe which in the short term does not look possible.

What has concretely initiated the work on the new defense concept?

Pogrom of Serbs of March 2004 in Kosovo. I took over the [Defense Ministry] from Boris Tadic on 20th of April. The exchange of duties was done with presence of the entire officer core so we had a chance to make a detailed analysis of the March Pogrom. Our conclusions were very worrisome. I immediately ordered the and additional, detailed secret analysis of what are the possibilities for further developments in Kosovo. It was concluded that the terrorist KLA was not neutralized, that Albanians were armed, that they are getting financial and military help from abroad, that they are ready to declare independence in no later then 3 years... To thwart that we decided establish better relations with NATO and the KFOR command, but also to strengthen our military and take security measures inside Serbia and in the region.

	US Colonel Drake welcomes Prvoslav Davinic

Yes. Boris Tadic and me have on several occasions visited the NATO command of the southern wing in Naples. I spoke with General Johnson who told us bluntly: I guarantee you that never again will there be a repeat of the Pogrom in Kosovo but I cannot guarantee that I will protect each and every Serb and each Serb house because we do not have that many soldiers.

There are rumors that your Ministry was loaded with NATO officers and spies?

AFter the October 2000 changes, many nations have sent their military advisors at their costs. When I took over the Ministry, I found 18 foreign advisors. I met only 3 of them. At the end of December of 2004 all of them left, but it was still suggested that NATO commands us and that spies remain all around us. Our military reforms were not done according to the dictates of NATO. The reform was done by Western type means with Serbian methods. The Security agency, VBA, did not find anyone to be a spy and no one was arrested.

Was it a program of organizational reforms and changes on the field?

Yes, because that program sought to form special mobile rapid reaction units for securing the border regions. That was done and the command of the troops was moved to Nis. It was decided that a military base near Bujanovac, at Cepotina, should be built; that professionals be deployed on the administrative border with Kosovo; to strengthen the existing intelligence gathering structure inside Kosovo and purchase of a satellite services for information gathering over our territory as well las the military and terrorist formations in Kosovo.

Until now, nothing has been done to that end. What happened?

In summer of 2004, when I visited the Cepotina base, I saw, on one hill, several metal containers. On basis of the agreement and after talks with PM Kostunica, I ordered the officers to build an actual base, with comfortable rooms and a hotel for the visiting families. According to the concept of the new strategy, this military-police base, the largest in the Balkans, was to be made into a service for the professional army and not the new recruits as it was originally planned. From that base, one controls the entire valley and parts of Kosovo so it has an important strategic importance. The cost was estimated at about $15 million [1.2 billion Dinars] and many companies made donations in bricks, cement... One general told me: "What do we need that for? If we have to retreat then it will stay here. Containers we can pull with us." I replied to him: "General, while I am here there is no retreat fro the south."

Cepotina hasn't been built to these specification even today?

It is a victim of perpetual budget rebalances that were done at the expense of the military.

As a Minister, what was your relationship with PM Kostunica?

Very good. Kostunica did not meddle in the job of the Ministry but he followed the progress. It is possible that he could have not liked something, but he did not interfere on the choice of my staff.

There is a perception created today that Kostunica is against EU and NATO integration, that he is siding with Russia and that he is boycotting the PArtnership for Peace?

During my relationship with the Prime Minister I did not have that perception. Kostunica supports PArtnership for Peace and the problem was that NATO did not seek to establish a stronger relationship as long as demands by the Hague tribunal were not met. I would say that Kostunica's reservations for NATO are more a result of EU's disregard for Serbia, because it supports independent Kosovo, and less because Kostunica seeks closer ties with Moscow.

Let's continue on the issues of strategy. What happened?

In May of 2004, PM Kostunica suggested we borrow $300 million from Russia so that Ministry of Defense gets $30 million. I decided that rebuilding 5 MiGs was more efficient so we went to Moscow to make a deal whereby we would exchange our MiGs for their rebuilt ones. We asked Russians to come to Belgrade and cut the deal, but the Finance MInister Dinkic decided to spend the $30 million on something else. Dinkic later promised to find money but of the 5 MiGs only one has been redone.

Besides the FInance Ministry, which has always reduced our ability to spend, the biggest consequence on our modernization effort had the Department for Property of the Republic of Serbia because it slowed and stopped the sale of military property and precluded us from funds. This kind of a behavior was in many ways the result of the coalition deal according to which every political party was responsible for its own resources. I believe that division of Ministries by a political party is wrong.

Why?

I have seen that that party functionaries and Ministers are primarily interested in executing their party platform and not the national interests.

Was the military deliberately destroyed?

There was little bit of everything and the most because of lack of knowledge and idealism. After the October 2000, led by euphoria over a democratic Serbia and expected relations with the West some thought, because of events in the 1990s, that Serbia should demilitarize and send the army home. The leadership was then and is now, still divided over this. One party believes that the military is the communist bandit army loaded with criminals that need to be removed. The others believe that the military is the patriotic force in Serbia, that its generals are national heroes and that those who are attacking the military are traitors and foreign spies. I inherited such army when I was the Minister.

The military was suppose to be strengthened so that it could thwart decapitation of Kosovo. Why are you today still convinced that there will be no peace in Serbia and the Balkan?

Reasons why this region is not stable are related to demographics and politics. In the next 5 to 10 years, Presevo Valley, Macedonia and the Albanian side in Montenegro will find itself under a strong influence of the demographic explosion among the Albanians which will motivate politics that demands territory in the area. If Albanians succeed in that, they will demand unification of their territorial gains. Americans and EU have warned them not to open up any new territorial questions in the region including the south of Serbia. The question is how long will it last. However, for us it is chance to in next year or two bring our military to the levels of a credible armed force that can guarantee stability in the Balkans. Only then will a chance open up that we, Serbs, and not the Albanians, organize the matters in the Balkans.

Why is West punishing us by breaking up our country?

Because wee were not sufficiently skillful in relations with the West but also because the West made mistakes. After Dayton in 1995, Milosevic came out of that summit as a peacemaker. Over night, America changed its position with Serbia. When the problems with Kosovo got started, Americans were willing to give Milosevic one year to pacify the situation in the province. The plan was, as Milosevic told the Americans, to disperse Serbs from their concentrated regions and create an ethnic mix-up between Serbs and Albanians, to have Kosovo become motley like leopard skin, with which Americans agreed. Of course, that was not realistic because Milosevic underestimated the Albanian extremism. After six months, when our troops started to respond in a disproportionate force and started losing the control of the situation the American got involved... A message was sent to Belgrade so that it can directly agree with Washington on an acceptable solution. Milosevic did not seriously consider the consequences of refusing such deal and because of the Racak was made and a war option was opened. Negotiations in Rambulliet bought time so West can make its war preparations. At that moment when the Washington saw that the exit out of the crisis was by engaging Pristina and not Belgrade, that is at the end of 1998, America also decided to give Albanians independence.

Could you reveal us some military secrets about underground sanctuaries?

There were about 40 of them. Inside Serbia there are 12, Bosnia 17, Croatia 7 and Slovenia 4. Those were secret objects of the former Yugoslav Army, whose maintenance was extremely costly even though they served no purpose to us. Croats and SLovenians have made these into tourist attractions.