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RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 5, No. 65, 01-04-03Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Newsline Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty <http://www.rferl.org>RFE/RL NEWSLINEVol. 5, No. 65, 3 April 2001CONTENTS[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[C] END NOTE
[A] TRANSCAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA[01] ARMENIA'S COMMUNISTS PUSH FOR UNION WITH RUSSIA, BELARUSArmenian Communist Party leader Vladimir Darpinian said in Yerevan on 2 April that his party will relaunch its campaign for Armenia's accession to the Russia-Belarus Union, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. "We are convinced that the vast majority of our people would vote for joining the Russia-Belarus Union," he said. And he added that the campaign will culminate in a mass demonstration in the Armenian capital on 16 May. PG[02] ARMENIA'S ENERGY PRIVATIZATION CHALLENGEDMore than one-third of the deputies in the parliament on 2 April offered a motion to reconsider the government's plans to privatize the national power distribution networks, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported. The parliament approved such a measure last summer, but now will take up the issue once again. PG[03] ARMENIANS, AZERBAIJANIS LOOK TO KEY WESTAs presidents Robert Kocharian and Heidar Aliev flew to their meeting in Florida, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and others speculated about whether the talks there could lead to a settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Most commentaries in Yerevan and Baku were cautiously optimistic that some progress could be made, but officials in both capitals stressed that neither side is prepared to make significant concessions that would violate their respective national interests. Baku's "Yeni Musavat" asked on 2 April what was the likely meaning of plans for Aliev to travel to Washington after Key West. And Russian Duma International Relations Committee Chairman Dmitrii Rogozin said in Yerevan on 2 April that Armenia and Azerbaijan should agree to entrust Russia with the role of guarantor of security of communications between Karabakh and Armenia, and between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, Noyan Tapan reported the same day. PG[04] AZERBAIJANI RADIO GOES INTERNATIONALBurc FM began broadcasting via satellite to Azerbaijani-language listeners around the world on 2 April, Turan reported the same day. The news agency said this is "the first time in history" that listeners abroad will be able to enter into dialogue live with a station in Baku. PG[05] AZERBAIJANI MUSLIM BOARD AGAINST SELF-FLAGELLATIONThe scientific religious council of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of the Caucasus has called on Azerbaijani Muslims not to engage in self- flagellation as they mark the martyrdom of Imam Husseyn on 5 April, Trend news agency reported on 2 April. PG[06] COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY ENTERS AZERBAIJAN FROM IRANAn official in the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry told Turan on 2 April that counterfeit manats are being produced in northern Iran and then smuggled into Azerbaijan. PG[07] SHEVARDNADZE SAYS GEORGIA TO STAY IN CISAt a press conference on 2 April, President Eduard Shevardnadze said he rejects the idea that Georgia should leave the Commonwealth of Independent States, Prime-News reported on 2 April. In other comments, he said Tbilisi would try to help Russians deal with Georgia's visa regime, that his government plans to discuss with Moscow the return of Chechen refugees from Georgia, that he sees no need for any change in the electoral calendar, and that he is hopeful there will be an agreement about Russian bases in Georgia. Meanwhile, in his weekly radio interview, Shevardnadze said the parliament's adoption of laws about church and state was a historic occasion, but not one that would hurt non-Orthodox Georgians; that credit for the 1991 independence poll goes to both nationalists and communists; and that corruption was the main reason for the country's budgetary shortfall. PG[08] GEORGIAN INTELLIGENCE SAYS RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS ENGAGE IN SMUGGLINGLevan Kiknadze, deputy chairman of the Georgian State Intelligence Department, told the country's parliament on 2 April that Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia are smuggling contraband into Samegrelo, Prime- News reported the same day. PG[09] NAZARBAEV TO NORWAYKazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev on 2 April departed for a two-day official visit to Oslo, ITAR-TASS reported. He is to discuss "the entire spectrum of bilateral relations," the Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry said. PG[10] KAZAKHSTAN STEPS UP BORDER CONTROLSKazakhstan has tightened customs controls over goods coming from China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as part of an effort to crack down on narcotics smuggling, ITAR-TASS reported on 2 April. The country's customs service noted that melons, potatoes, and fabrics are often used to conceal drugs. PG[11] KYRGYZ OPPOSITION PREPARES FOR PROTESTSeveral opposition parties announced on 2 April that they would mount a major protest on 13 April in support of press freedom, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported the same day. That meeting will build on a 30 March demonstration that attracted some 200 people. Meanwhile, Tolekan Ismailova, president of the NGO coalition, told RFE/RL that her group is circulating a petition against Bishkek city efforts to prevent demonstrations. PG[12] KYRGYZSTAN SEEKS DEBT FORGIVENESS FROM TURKEYPresident Askar Akaev and other Kyrgyz officials met with a visiting Turkish parliamentary delegation on 2 April to press for debt forgiveness and expanded assistance, AP reported. PG[13] KYRGYZSTAN PREPARES FOR ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF UZBEKISTAN INVASIONTalant Razzakov, the deputy chief of the Kyrgyzstan National Security Service, told Interfax-Central Asia on 2 April that Bishkek was preparing for an invasion by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, as it believes that group seeks to use Kyrgyz territory as a staging area against Tashkent. But on 1 April, Uzbek television showed the reinforced Uzbek-Kyrgyz border to be quiet. PG[14] TAJIKISTAN RESTORING BUDDHA STATUETajikistan's scholars are restoring a 14-meter-long statue of a reclining Buddha, Interfax reported on 2 April. PG[15] TURKMENISTAN LEADER SAID TO BE IN GOOD HEALTHGerman cardiologist Hans Meissner examined President Saparmurat Niyazov and announced that he is good health, Turkmen television reported on 2 April. Meissner was the doctor who performed heart bypass surgery on Niyazov in 1997 and has conducted regular examinations of the Turkmen leader since that time. PG[16] KARIMOV TO SIGN MORE ACCORDS IN GERMANYPrior to his departure for Germany on 2 April, President Islam Karimov said he would sign 10 more agreements with German officials on top of the 50 Tashkent already has with Berlin, Uzbek Radio reported on 2 April. PG[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE[17] YUGOSLAVIA'S KOSTUNICA: MILOSEVIC SHOULD NOT GO TO THE HAGUE...Asked about a possible extradition of former President Slobodan Milosevic to The Hague, Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica told the "New York Times" of 3 April that "it should never happen" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2001). Kostunica added that "other presidents are not being sent to The Hague. I must make some compromises [with the West], but there is a line I cannot cross. Even among those people in the Serbian and Yugoslav governments who don't think about legitimacy but about what might be politically useful, the prevailing view is that it would be unacceptable" to send Milosevic to face war crimes charges in the Dutch city. Kostunica argued that the tribunal is anti-Serb and based on shaky legal foundations. PM[18] ...AND NOBODY SHOULD PRESSURE SERBIAWarning the U.S. against applying political pressure against Serbia because of Milosevic, Kostunica added in remarks to the "New York Times" of 3 April: "If pressure did not work with Milosevic in power, and now he is no longer in power and we are having a horrible situation in Serbia, what is the sense of such threats now?" Kostunica nonetheless said that he understands the view in Washington that Milosevic's arrest just before a 31 March aid cut-off deadline is proof that "pressure works." "But that is incorrect thinking, even when Milosevic was in power," Kostunica stressed. Yugoslavia does not need more foreign pressure "but patience, to let us cope with these problems, especially when one considers that the stability of Yugoslavia and Serbia is very important for this unstable region... How can our people and courts become competent to deal with questions like war crimes unless you're given a chance?" PM[19] KOSTUNICA: SERBIA WILL 'SUFFER' IF MONTENEGRIN DECISION IS DELAYEDReferring to Montenegro, the "New York Times" of 3 April reported that Kostunica believes that "an independent Montenegro would produce more regional instability, noting that more refugees live in Serbia -- about 800, 000 -- than the 650,000 people in Montenegro. But he strongly opposes a moratorium or delay on Montenegro's deciding its future, saying Serbia would suffer from any further period of uncertainty." For their part, Montenegrin pro-independence leaders believe that Montenegro can manage its affairs efficiently and economically precisely because it is small. They warn that Montenegro will "suffer" if it remains in a state with a Serbian leadership that has attitudes toward the mountainous republic similar to those of Milosevic. PM[20] FOREIGN PRESSURE FOR EXTRADITION MOUNTINGThe "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported on 3 April that foreign leaders, including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, have stepped up calls for Milosevic to go to The Hague. Top German officials, including Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, his aide Michael Steiner, and former Bosnian troubleshooter Hans Koschnik, have made similar statements. Vienna's "Die Presse" wrote that the arrest of Milosevic has reduced domestic political tensions within Serbia and improved the government's image abroad. In Belgrade, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said that the U.S. decision to renew aid to Serbia reflects growing foreign confidence in the government, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported (see below). PM[21] U.S. TO KEEP AID TO SERBIA -- WITH A CONDITIONSecretary of State Colin Powell ruled on 2 April that Yugoslavia is eligible for continued U.S. economic aid following Milosevic's arrest on corruption charges. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the decision means that the U.S. can begin to turn over $50 million in assistance to Belgrade. Congress had set a 31 March deadline on the certification process. But Boucher added that unless Belgrade cooperates with The Hague, Washington will not help sponsor an international conference aimed at raising money for Serbia's battered economy. The $50 million in aid -- part of a $100 million overall package -- will run out by 1 October, the start of the new fiscal year. The U.S. administration will need to determine by then the level of assistance, if any, it intends to provide Yugoslavia in the new fiscal year. PM/NCA[22] HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: AID DECISION ON SERBIA 'PREMATURE'"The decision to certify [Belgrade] is premature," said Holly Cartner, executive director of the Europe and Central Asia division of Human Rights Watch, in a statement issued in New York on 2 April. She stressed that "this is not the moment to let the pressure off Belgrade. Slobodan Milosevic would not be behind bars today if it were not for international pressure." Cartner argued that the Bush administration is correct in deciding to withhold support for a donors' conference until the Yugoslav government has exhibited real cooperation with the tribunal. But the administration should set down specific benchmarks, including the transfer of Milosevic and other indictees to the tribunal, in order for the donors' conference to go ahead, the statement added. Cartner also urged the administration to link future support in international financial institutions to the transfer of indictees, including Milosevic, to The Hague. PM[23] SERBIA'S MILOSEVIC TO FACE DEATH PENALTY?Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic told reporters in Vienna on 2 April that: "we have indications that Milosevic was also involved in serious crimes which carry the death penalty. But we are talking about investigations, we need proof. If we get this we will ask the justice authorities to bring charges." He did not specify what the additional charges might be, Reuters reported. Some officials have suggested that the current charges might be expanded to include treason or involvement in political assassinations. The death penalty has not been officially carried out in Serbia for many years. Mihajlovic added that "it is really of historic importance that there should initially be a court hearing in Serbia. It is important that Milosevic is put on trial in Serbia for what he did there, for what he did to the people. Otherwise false myths could arise and we have had enough false myths in the past." PM[24] KOSOVA SERBS TO SEEK CHARGES AGAINST MILOSEVICSerbian Orthodox Archbishop Artemije told the Belgrade daily "Danas" of 3 April that Milosevic's greatest crimes were against his own people. Artemije's diocese includes much of Kosova. Serbian National Council leader Momcilo Trajkovic stressed that he wants Milosevic investigated for his role in creating "the conditions in which our nation now finds itself." Milosevic rose to power in the late 1980s by exploiting Serbian nationalist sentiments, above all in Kosova. For years, Kosova Serbs were widely regarded as his staunchest backers. They gradually turned against him after he lost wars in Croatia and Bosnia, and especially after he lost Kosova in 1999. PM[25] MILOSEVIC ADMITS ARMING REBELS IN CROATIA, BOSNIAIn a denial of embezzlement charges, Milosevic's attorney wrote in a statement that some of the money the former president is accused of stealing was actually used to provide weapons for Serbian rebels in Croatia and Bosnia a decade ago. The statement noted that "these sums could not be publicly presented in the draft budget for reasons of state security as the top state secret," the "Daily Telegraph" reported on 3 April. This is the "first official confirmation from Belgrade that the actions of the Serb rebels in...Croatia and Bosnia...were stoked by Milosevic," the daily added. Elsewhere, Florence Hartmann, who is the spokeswoman for The Hague tribunal's chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, told RFE/RL that the tribunal is preparing charges against Milosevic stemming from the Bosnian conflict. PM[26] MILOSEVIC AIDES 'SINGING LIKE CANARIES' IN SERBIAN INQUIRYLondon's "The Independent" of 3 April quoted an unnamed source close to the investigation of several of Milosevic's top aides as saying that the former officials have "started to sing like canaries." They include former security chief Rade Markovic, customs chief Mihalj Kertes, banker Jovan Zebic, and former Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic. The source told the daily that the men saw nothing wrong in what they did. "You asked for money and you got it. And it worked for years," the source added. PM[27] CROATIA TO MAKE 'ALL' DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE TO THE HAGUEPrime Minister Ivica Racan said in Zagreb on 2 April that the arrest of Milosevic is a necessary step but only an initial one, RFE/RL's South Slavic Service reported. He added that the government will make available to The Hague tribunal "all" documents it has regarding specific war crimes committed on Croatian territory. In other news, Racan told a press conference that organized crime is on the rise and extending its links to the army and police, "Jutarnji list" reported. He added that the Interior Ministry has a job on its hands. PM[28] MACEDONIA REOPENS BORDER WITH KOSOVAMacedonia reopened its border with Kosova on 3 April, RFE/RL reported. The Interior Ministry said two border crossings -- at Blace and Jazince -- were reopened for general traffic. Macedonia closed the border three weeks ago in a bid to prevent ethnic Albanian militants from crossing over. PM/NCA[29] ALBANIAN OPPOSITION PARTY BOYCOTTS MACEDONIAN TALKSRepresentatives of the Party of Democratic Prosperity (PPD), which was part of the previous Social Democrat-led government, did not attend all-party talks in Skopje on 2 April, RFE/RL reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 April 2001). After three hours of talks, President Boris Trajkovski said there will be more discussions. He described the boycott as regrettable. The PDP defended its move. Elsewhere, there were renewed reports of gunfire in the village of Selce, above Tetovo. Macedonian defense officials say their forces exchanged fire with a group of gunmen trying to enter the village. On the diplomatic front, the EU's Chris Patten and Javier Solana, were in Skopje for more talks with Trajkovski. NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson is due in the Macedonian capital shortly. PM/NCA[30] BOSNIA LOOKING INTO DIPLOMATS' BEHAVIOR ABROAD"Dnevni avaz" reported on 3 April that the Bosnian government is investigating possible misuse of office by some of its Foreign Ministry officials and diplomats based abroad. The concern focuses on alleged shady business dealings. Among the targets of the inquiry are the embassies in Vienna and at the UN. The daily added that the authorities may seek from the U.S. the extradition of Ambassador and former Foreign Minister Muhamed Sacirbey, who holds U.S. and Bosnian citizenship. PM[31] ROMANIAN LEADERS REACT CAUTIOUSLY TO MILOSEVIC'S ARRESTPresident Ion Iliescu on 2 April told journalists that the imprisonment of former Yugoslav President Milosevic "opens the road to stability and normalization" in Yugoslavia, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said the arrest is "an internal political decision, probably a painful one for a segment of Yugoslavia's population, but the only possible decision with regard to ensuring the country's future." Viewed from this perspective, Nastase said, "I believe the decision is politically correct." Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, who is also serving as OSCE chairman, said the arrest "is a step forward for the consolidation of democracy in Yugoslavia." Geoana said Yugoslav President Kostunica is "a legalist and a great expert in constitutional matters" and his decision to grant "preference to domestic law at the initial stage is wise." MS[32] ROMANIAN CHIEF OF STAFF ADMITS ARMY POORLY TRAINEDChief of Staff General Mihai Popescu on 2 April acknowledged that Romania's army is poorly trained due to a lack of funds and personnel, AFP reported. Popescu said that in 2000 air force pilots were able to carry out only 13 percent of planned training flights and that nearly 70 percent of pilots were "nonoperational" because of insufficient flying time. He also said the state of the navy was "precarious" and the army's combat training has suffered because of worn-out equipment. Half of the navy's war ships did not even leave port last year, because the navy received only 15 percent of the fuel it needs, he said. MS[33] ROMANIAN STEEL WORKERS PROTEST PLANT SHUTDOWNSteel workers in Resita on 3 April left the CSR steel-production plant in town and are marching to the Resita-Caransebes highway with the intention of blocking it, Romanian radio reported. The protest began on 2 April, with the workers urging the government to save their jobs. CSR stopped production in early March, after the U.S. firm Noble Ventures, which bought the steelworks last year, failed to pay electricity bills amounting to $4.71 million along with similar gas bills, causing the plant to be cut off from gas and electricity deliveries. The U.S. consortium agreed to take over the company's debts when it bought it. The protesters shouted "Down with the Americans" and demanded that Premier Nastase come to talk to them. Nastase said the government's power to intervene was limited, but ordered Privatization Minister Ovidiu Musatescu to examine whether the privatization contract has been honored. MS[34] VORONIN WELCOMES TIRASPOL'S REFUSAL TO ATTEND OSCE MEETINGParty of Moldovan Communists leader Vladimir Voronin on 2 April said he finds "reason for hope" in the refusal of the Transdniester separatists to attend the OSCE Bratislava meeting before the election of the next Moldovan president and a meeting between him and separatist leader Igor Smirnov, Infotag reported. "Frankly speaking, I would like such meetings to be held in Chisinau and Tiraspol, not in Bratislava, Vienna, or anywhere else abroad. The Transdniester conflict is a domestic Moldovan problem, and it should be solved at home," Voronin said. He added that the "excessive internationalization" of the Transdniester negotiations may be "not only inefficient, but also lacking perspectives of success." He said he intends to personally be "very active" in the negotiations and "the Transdniester settlement is going to be one of my biggest priorities." MS[35] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT PRAISES, WARNS MACEDONIANSPresident Petar Stoyanov, in a telephone conversation with his Macedonian counterpart Boris Trajkovski on 2 April, praised the successful operation by Macedonian forces against Albanian insurgents, calling it "an adequate response to the actions of extremists," AP reported. At the same time, Stoyanov warned that further violence in Macedonia may jeopardize the European future of the entire region. He said the successful Macedonian military operation has "made a forthcoming dialogue possible" and emphasized that the dialogue "must prevent Macedonian society from splitting along ethnic lines." Also on 2 April, Prime Minister Ivan Kostov told journalists there is a danger that the Macedonian crisis could spread to engulf all territories with an ethnic Albanian minority. "If there really are aspirations to set up a Greater Albania, [the rebels] are very adequately coordinated, armed, and financed," he commented. MS[36] NEW BULGARIAN PARTY TO SUPPORT FORMER KINGThe recently established Conservative Union (EKIP), headed by former Union of Democratic Forces dissenters Hristo Biserov and Yordan Tzonev, in a statement released on 2 April said it "unconditionally supports" former King Simeon II's "expressed will" to "take part in Bulgarian political life, " Reuters reported. Observers said that if the EKIP fails to win the endorsement of the former monarch, it has little chance to get into the parliament due to be elected on 17 June. Simeon II is expected to arrive soon from Madrid and clarify his intention to participate in Bulgarian politics. In February, he said he will seek a political role despite being banned by the Constitutional Court from running for president. MS[37] ISRAELI OWNER APPEALS BALKAN AIRLINE BANKRUPTCYA lawyer representing Zeevi Group, the Israeli owner of Bulgaria's national carrier Balkan Airlines, appealed a court decision to declare the company bankrupt, the English-language daily "Monitor," citing the private Darik Radio, reported on 2 April. The lawyer said he will submit a rehabilitation plan for the airline at a meeting with creditors on the next day. The plan was drafted by Balkan Holdings, a Dutch-registered company of Zeevi. MS[C] END NOTE[38] BELGRADE TOOK POSITIVE FIRST STEPBy Jolyon NaegeleLaura Silber, senior policy adviser to the New York-based Open Society Institute, commented during an interview on 2 April with RFE/RL correspondent Jolyon Naegele on the manner of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's arrest, which was unsuccessfully tried on 31 March before another attempt succeeded on 1 April. She was asked what this said about the capabilities of the Serbian police, the relations between the police and the army, and the relations between the republic and federal organs in general. Silber responded: "Well, it obviously reveals that there is a great amount of tension and that the balance of power has yet to be defined. However, in the end, we did see that they were able to reach an accord and to decide how to deal with this. But there was obviously a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiation and struggle -- not with Milosevic and his party, but rather between the Yugoslav and the Serbian authorities and the police and the army. The army until the last minute seems to have really stood by Milosevic and have been very reluctant to take any action against him." Serbian police did not detain Milosevic's wife, Mira Markovic, who heads the Party of the Yugoslav Left, on the grounds that they were not authorized to do so. Markovic has been rumored to be behind a variety of violent acts, including the attempted assassination of former Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov in 1995. Asked whether Markovic is innocent or whether the authorities lack sufficient evidence to charge her, Silber said: "Well, I think, clearly there will be some sort of charges against her in the end. I think perhaps either they don't have enough evidence accumulated or, what is more likely, they decided to deal with one person at a time. But I think we haven't seen the end of the charges against the Milosevic family." Silber was then asked to what extent the new authorities in Belgrade are fulfilling their international obligations by detaining Milosevic: "Well, I think, as we know, the detention of Slobodan Milosevic was not a precondition. What [is] the precondition for Belgrade, to fulfill its international obligations, is compliance with the international criminal tribunal for -- in former Yugoslavia. So that Milosevic, or the detention and ultimate surrender of Milosevic, is just one condition that Belgrade must fulfill in order to meet its international obligations. But I think what [happened] is a very good step and that most likely the outside world will allow Belgrade some time, possibly even for a domestic trial first before there is pressure to hand over Mr. Milosevic to The Hague [international war crimes tribunal]." At a hearing after his detention yesterday, Milosevic rejected the Belgrade prosecutor's charges of abuse of office and financial impropriety. RFE/RL asked Silber what -- in view of Milosevic's defiant attitude and refusal until now to accept responsibility for his actions -- can we expect to learn from Milosevic when he finally goes on trial? She answered: "I think it really remains unclear how he will react. I think that for the time being Milosevic really tried to the very last minute. He was hoping that enough people would rally to prevent his detention. He played his cards wrong. I think now it's impossible to really know what we can expect from Mr. Milosevic at the tribunal. So far, he hasn't been willing to divulge any information. But perhaps when he sees his future in a jail somewhere, perhaps he might be willing to be cooperative. Perhaps he may try to bring down others, give evidence against others he feels might be able to share the blame with him. So I think it is difficult to predict what kind of testimony he will ultimately give when really sitting in the dock." Silber expects Belgrade will eventually -- but not immediately -- extradite the former president to The Hague. "I think it will take Belgrade some time to surrender Mr. Milosevic to The Hague. I also think it is difficult for their [Belgrade's] position: while [Serbian] public opinion is certainly clamoring for Milosevic to stand trial, so far public opinion is not in favor of sending Mr. Milosevic to The Hague. And while obviously Belgrade cannot be a slave to public opinion, they have to lead the agenda. I think there is an understanding that they probably won't in the very short term surrender Mr. Milosevic to The Hague. But I think, ultimately, Belgrade very well understands that they must meet their international obligations, one of which includes surrendering all indicted war criminals to The Hague." The Hague tribunal has indicted for war crimes numerous other former political and military leaders who are still at large in Serbia and in the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska. Silber was asked what Milosevic's detention suggests for those such as former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic. "I think it means that they had better be careful. And I think that obviously, taking Mr. Milosevic, who was the symbol of the violent destruction of Yugoslavia -- I think it is very powerful and I am very sure that those indicted war criminals right now are thinking, 'am I next?'" 03-04-01 Reprinted with permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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