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ISSUE 2137
Sunday 1 April 2001
Bungled seizure sends shudders through Belgrade's leaders
By John Simpson
TO have tried and failed to arrest Slobodan Milosevic is nothing less than a political disaster. This morning, no one at the top of Yugoslav politics seems to be questioning that.
It has undermined the standing of the democratic parties which took over after the popular uprising against the Milosevic regime last October. As for Zoran Djindjic, the Serbian prime minister, who ordered the arrest and announced to the world on Friday night that it had actually taken place, his position has been damaged worst of all.
Even the president, Vojislav Kostunica, who has been cautious about arresting Milosevic and who left the country on a visit to Switzerland before it happened, will be affected by the affair. The government which Mr Kostunica heads is an unwieldy coalition containing many of the groups and parties which were in opposition to Milosevic. As the likelihood of an election comes closer, the manoeuvrings between the different political leaders have increased.
The catalyst in this case was the demand by the United States that the government should detain Milosevic or risk losing American economic aid and loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Soon after President Kostunica left for Switzerland, Mr Djindjic decided to order the riot police to move in on Milosevic's suburban villa.
During the past two weeks the government withdrew Milosevic's secret service bodyguard, which numbered 76. Between 16 and 18 members of it, however, refused to obey, and stayed on in the villa. It was these men who resisted Friday night's hapless attempt to capture Milosevic: the force that was sent to do the job was under strict orders that there was to be no bloodshed. It quickly became clear that bloodshed would be inevitable.
Milosevic still has some powerful supporters, particularly in the army. The chief of staff, Gen Nebojsa Pavkovic, is reported to have offered his support for his former leader directly the government began signalling that the arrest was imminent. Eight Milosevic aides, including the deputy leader of his Socialist Party and a senior official of the secret police, were arrested earlier in the week.
Washington's weekend deadline for action was public knowledge. News that the arrest would take place was announced by radio and television stations in Belgrade at 8pm on Friday, six hours before the riot police moved in. There were rumours that all this had been skilfully planned by someone senior to humiliate the government and give Milosevic's supporters the chance to gather and protect him.
In fact, all the signs are that the fiasco came about because of Mr Djindjic's desperation to beat the American deadline before Mr Kostunica could return and take over the reins of government again. Mr Djindjic has been faced with a flood of strikes as Yugoslavia's economic crisis worsens. A withdrawal of aid would have made matters worse.
For this very reason, though, political analysts in Belgrade believe there was never any real chance that Washington would have taken action. They criticise Mr Djindjic for having caved in to this kind of pressure, and memories of his past mistakes have come to the fore again - for instance, the way he sought refuge in Montenegro during the Nato bombing campaign of 1999.
Now the government faces the worst of all possible worlds. Support for Milosevic has time to build up. As feverish negotiations went on at the villa with the commander of the riot police, Milosevic is said to have shouted that he would not be captured alive. If he can still be arrested, tried and found guilty for stealing millions from the national treasury and diverting them to his own account, that will be the end of him.
After that, sending him to face trial at The Hague for human rights offences would come almost as an afterthought. Now there is a real chance, if his arrest continues to be mishandled, that he will turn himself into a martyr. Serbian politics will be divided for years to come, and the country's return to stability and international respect delayed.
So there is intense criticism of Mr Djindjic for botching the job. But there is also criticism of America's heavy-handed tactics in trying to force an independent, democratic government to do its will in such an undiplomatic fashion. Only a peaceful and swift end to the absurdity at the Milosevic villa can save things now.
What a farce this entire mess is. Yugoslavia will be President Bush's 'tar baby' if he continues our unwise involvement there.
It's not too late for him to say that we 'just can't fix what's broke there' and LEAVE.
At this point I do not know if Bush lacks the brains or the balls to leave the Yugoslavia mess behind. Time will tell if Bush has or lacks all or some.
Nab Blair and Allbright instead--they're greater "War Criminals" than Slobo...
bump-o
Get our boys the hell out of Kosovo. Bring the troops home and get the real war criminal in Chapaqua.
I hope President Bush's advisors realize that people everywhere don't cotton to ultimatums. It's human nature.
Leni
bump
"At this point I do not know if Bush lacks the brains or the balls to leave the Yugoslavia mess behind. Time will tell if Bush has or lacks all or some."
Well, W doesn't have to defy the laws of the universe and be perfect to be a guy I'm still glad that I voted for...
But I do hope that he leaves this part of the world, and its problems, to the people who have to live in it.
I voted for W as well.
Washington's weekend deadline for action was public knowledge. News that the arrest would take place was announced by radio and television stations in Belgrade at 8pm on Friday, six hours before the riot police moved in. There were rumours that all this had been skilfully planned by someone senior to humiliate the government and give Milosevic's supporters the chance to gather and protect him.
That seems to be the way of it. Else why would the impending arrest be blared worldwide? With the arrest almost-live on CNN narrated by Amonpour who I despise.
I suspect there are quite a few "someone senior's" behind the scenes in Belgrade. Else why not starve Slobo out - cut the power & water, seal off his estate, block his sewer connection, etc. I assume any publicly held accounts have already been siezed.
I'm no big Slobo fan but neither is his "Butcher of Belgrade" mantle fully earned. As most here already understand.......
Milo has a generator and is doing just fine thank you!!!! We all seem to be armchair generals. Frankly, I cannot think of anything more ridiculous than announcing the date and then having the cameras at the ready! What a bunch of fools. It wasn't W who sent the deadline.....it was our esteemed congress!!!!!!!!!!!!! No surprise there!
It was NOT Bush who sent an ultimatum, it was CONGRESS!
Slobo looks too much like Archie Bunker to be bad.
Question please: In all seriousness too. What did Milosevich do, as far as war crimes that Xlinton and Blair didn't do ? I would really like to hear a serious answer if anyone has one. For the life of me I cannot see one thing worse than what Blair and Xlinton have done in Kosovo.
0
Good night! They should have used Reno's storm troopers! After all, they took Elian with little or no bloodshed and spirited him away for a life-time of punishment in Cuba with nary a problem (a slight cubano problem happily re-surfaced at election time, however). By the by, where is the little long distance swimmer now? Moved in with Fidel? And where's that amusing Dad of his? In prison?
I think the Congress was coaxed into this by the International Crisis Group (ICG), whose members are Gen. Wesley Clark and Louise Arbour, among others... Their motives are clear, but Djindjich is mistaken if he thinks that pleasing the master will get him off the hook. The Congress will keep moving the target until Djindjic takes another opportunity with Koshtunitsa out of the country to pack Slobo to ICTY. Maybe then the Serbs will pack Djindjich too...
I think the Congress was coaxed into this by the International Crisis Group (ICG), whose members are Gen. Wesley Clark and Louise Arbour, among others... Their motives are clear, but Djindjich is mistaken if he thinks that pleasing the master will get him off the hook. The Congress will keep moving the target until Djindjic takes another opportunity with Koshtunitsa out of the country to pack Slobo to ICTY. Maybe then the Serbs will pack Djindjich too...
I hope Clinton gives up without as much resistance when they come to take him to his war crimes trial. Will the secret service try to protect him?
I hope Clinton gives up without as much resistance when they come to take him to his war crimes trial
Are you kidding? Not a single Allied soldier or civlian has ever been accused or convicted of a war crime.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
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