MAN OF THE HOUR

摘要

He had not prepared for this moment, and a part of him despaired of standing at the center of it. But as he stepped onto the balcony of Belgrade's city hall last Thursday night, with the parliament building smoldering nearby and thousands of supporters gathered in the darkness beneath him, Vojislav Kostunica surely felt the weight of history. He still had to say something, summon words that could calm the restive crowd in Belgrade as much as inspire them. How would he describe the revolution that had just unfolded? What could he say to assure them that after 13 years of repression and misery, the long night had passed? Kostunica stood on the balcony, held the microphone and looked out at the throng. At last he spoke. "Good evening, dear liberated Serbia," he said.