August 21, 1995 Vreme News Digest Agency No 203

Profile: Milan Milutinovic

New Yugoslav Foreign Minister

by Milos Vasic

General data: Born in heart of Belgrade in 1942 to a Communist family, with a strong mother figure. Married.

Education: classic high-school, Belgrade Law College. In college, in the early sixties, meets Slobodan Milosevic, also a law student. Foreign languages: English, French

Career: Joins progressive movement in early youth. Member of student leaderships of Belgrade University together with Slobodan Milosevic. Member of the Socialist Youth Alliance of Yugoslavia Presidency, charged with international relations. Deputy of the Federal Assembly Socio-political Council and member of the Foreign Policy Board. Chairman of the Vracar League of Communists Municipality Board. Member of the Belgrade League of Communists City Committee. Republican Education Secretary and member of the Socialist Republic of Serbia Executive Council. Director of the National Library of Serbia. Ambassador in Federal Foreign Ministry. SFRY Ambassador in Greece. FRY Foreign Minister.

Characteristic trait: moderately self-assertive

Traits: reliable, loyal, promising; not burdened by corrupt liberalism, modest, not prone to self-publicity. Committed, in the sense that he advocated the Party line even at parties, and was ridiculed by anarchic liberals and the reactionary forces. The class enemy considered him an arrogant and irascible apparatchik and a boring collocutor. Disliked by the nationalists (Dr. Ljuba Tadic, Dr. Mihajlo Markovic), the liberals (the remainder of the group that had rallied round "Praksis" - for the same reason - he expelled them from the University), the civic-nationalist opposition (as a proven hard-core Communist), and by the professional ranks in the Foreign Ministry (as an amateur appointed for political reasons); the rest of the personnel fear his personal friendship with Milosevic.

Political biography: Was an important figure in the City Committee during the ten-year government of the famous Sasa Gligorijevic. While fulfilling the post of Secretary for Education and Science, implemented the political decision to oust eight "Praxis" professors from Belgrade University. Slipped during the ousting of the leaders of the Serbian League of Communists, and was absent from the top of the cadre list for a certain period of time, only to be expelled to the National Library of Serbia. Milosevic's ascent to the Party throne puts him back on top of the cadre list. Always wanted to be a diplomat, and managed to enter the Federal Foreign Ministry as deputy Head of the Press Department. Appointed Yugoslav ambassador to Athens in September, 1989. Rumor has it his first combination to acquire a ministerial portfolio was prevented by Dobrica Cosic at the suggestion of his special advisor Svetozar Stojanovic, one of the eight banished professors. Becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs after a rash statement by his predecessor Vladislav Jovanovic.

Best known for: besides the purge in College of Philosophy, by Milosevic's overnight stay in his residence in Athens

Greeks' opinion of him: incommunicative; painted the neo-classical embassy building in the wrong color.

Famous statements: none; as all good apparatchiks, he took care not to make any.

Why he became Minister: because Milosevic considers him reliable and loyal; because he has experience in disciplining confused professionals; because Milosevic needs a good port-parole.

How long he will keep the post: for the time being