Series of EmergencyNet News "Real-Time" Reports Concerning the Arrest of Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic: 30 Mar to 01 Apr 2001
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Sunday, April 1, 2001-Vol. 7, No. 091- 09:00CDT
Milosevic Finally Taken Into Custody
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been arrested and taken into custody. He was scheduled to face questioning on Sunday. His arrest came in the early hours of the morning, after a heavily-armed standoff at his Belgrade villa, where the ex-leader had been surrounded by police for nearly 36 hours. A convoy of five cars was seen speeding away from the scene.
Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said Milosevic had not yet been formally charged, but would face questioning by an investigating judge on charges of abuse of power and financial corruption.
Under Yugoslav law, a judge must decide within 72 hours whether Milosevic will remain in custody. Initially, suspects can be detained for one month, which can later be extended to six months. Milosevic is wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, but so far the Belgrade authorities have been unwilling to consider extraditing him.
A number of people who tried to prevent Milosevic's arrest have themselves now been taken into custody, including several of his bodyguards. They are charged illegally possessing and using arms during the first failed police attempt to arrest Milosevic on Friday night.
A top official from the ex-leader's Socialist Party, Vladimir Ivkovic, said Milosevic had decided to give himself up of his own free will. Government negotiators had spent several hours inside trying to secure a peaceful end to the stand-off, amid speculation until the last minute that force would have to be used. Milosevic was thought to have been holed up in the villa with his wife and daughter and about 20 well-armed and possibly drunken bodyguards.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zarko Korac said that the ex-president was in a distraught mental state prior to his arrest. According to officials who had seen him he was unbalanced, he was threatening, brandishing a gun and he was saying he would kill himself and his family. Milosevic's wife and his daughter Maria are still reported to be inside the villa.
The arrest coincides with the expiry of a US deadline for the Yugoslav government to arrest the former president or risk losing substantial US economic aid and loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. US officials have indicated that the arrest of Milosevic would be regarded as an important first step but Washington still wants to see him brought before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. A decision on whether to release some US$50 million of aid is expected on Monday.
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Saturday, March 31, 2001-Vol. 7, No. 090-08:30CST
Standoff Continues At Milosevic's Home In Belgrade
Riot police surrounded Slobodan Milosevic's villa on Saturday in an attempt to bring the former president to justice. But a defiant Milosevic rejected a warrant, reportedly telling police he "won't go to jail alive." In refusing the warrant, Milosevic declared that he did not "recognize these police and these authorities, all of them being NATO servants." The former president remained inside his home in an upscale Belgrade neighborhood late Saturday morning, surrounded by armed loyalist bodyguards. Police appeared to be settling in for a wait after their initial attempts to reach Milosevic were met with blasts of gunfire. At least two officers were injured.
Serbian authorities have confirmed reports of a rift between the police and soldiers who guard Milosevic's compound. The army was said to be obeying people close to Milosevic, and accused one army general of failing to carry out his duty.
The Serbs said Milosevic's refusal to accept the arrest order led to an armed confrontation as the police failed to gain entry to his villa. They had only backed off when faced with an arsenal of weapons - including artillery and bomb equipment - from inside the compound.
The Yugoslav Interior Minister said the authorities would try to prevent Milosevic's guards - whom he described as "drunken mercenaries" - from harming citizens or the police. Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic called on all armed civilians protecting Milosevic to surrender their weapons.
Early on Saturday, the Belgrade Politika newspaper reported that Yugoslav army Chief of Staff General Nebojsa Pavkovic had prevented Milosevic's arrest. This was denied by an aide to the former president. By dawn on Saturday, riot police had pushed all civilians - including an angry crowd of Milosevic supporters - back from the entrance of the former leader's house.
The interior minister said force would be used if negotiations with Milosevic and his allies failed. The minister read a long list of charges against the former president. They include abuse of power, corruption, earning money illegally and the theft of state funds. Milosevic is also wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Yugoslav authorities said Milosevic was being arrested on Serbian criminal charges, not on the international indictment for war crimes. The Interior Minister made it clear he would not be extradited to the Hague.
Shots were exchanged for 15 minutes overnight after special forces pushed through the crowd, but were repelled by armed bodyguards inside the compound. Observers said it was a scene of total chaos, with people running about in different directions. At least two policemen were wounded in the clashes.
21:00CST- 30 Mar 2001/05:00YT - 31 Mar 2001
Confusion Continues in Arrest of Milosevic
Belgrade, Yugoslavia (EmergencyNet News) -- According to the Reuters News service, "commandos wielding sub-machineguns" stormed the Milosevic residence at about 03:00 (local time) on Saturday morning. Television footage showed much the same thing. But, that apparently doesn't end the official confusion concerning the status of former President Milosevic.
The U.S. government says it has received information that Mr. Milosevic was arrested, but that can not be independently confirmed. In fact, Reuters says that Serbia's Justice Minister Vladan Batic, a leader in the reformist alliance which ousted the authoritarian Milosevic in a mass uprising last October, earlier said that no one had been arrested. Yugoslav press reports say that a warrant for Milosevic's arrest had been issued, but it is not clear if it was ever actually served, or if Mr. Milosevic remains in any sort of custody or house arrest. Presently, it is hoped that the whole situation will be clarified by an official statement to be issued later on Saturday (Yugoslav time)...
*****
19:00CST - 30 Mar 2001
Questions Remain As To Whether Milosevic Was Arrested...
Belgrade, Yugoslavia (EmergencyNet News) -- Questions remain as to the official status of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Earlier reports had suggested that Milosevic, who had been indicted by U.N. War Crimes Tribunal, had actually been arrested by Yugoslav police. Several reports from Milosevic's home, outside Belgrade, indicate that he was earlier taken into custody --but he was later reportedly seen -- back at his home -- waving to supporters. No official statement on Mr. Milosevic's actual status has been released by the current Yugoslav government, and he apparently remains at large.
``We've always said Mr. Milosevic ought to be brought to justice,'' President G. W. Bush said in Washington. U.S. officials are reportedly monitoring events in Yugoslavia closely and they say that $50 million dollars in U.S. foreign aid to Yugoslavia could be in jeopardy, unless Milosevic is taken into custody and remanded to the War Crimes court...
*****
13:45CST - 30 Mar 2001
YUGOSLAVIA:
Unusual Activity Near Milosevic Home??
Belgrade, Yugoslavia -- Police vehicles reportedly converged on the house of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic today after an aide said the former strongman was "likely to be arrested." The aide, Branislav Ivkovic, head of the pro-Milosevic Socialist Party faction in the Serbian parliament told deputies that a "number of people in black uniforms and an ambulance are heading toward Milosevic's house" in Belgrade's Dedinje district. As rumors about a possible arrest spread, dozens of Milosevic supporters who have been guarding his residence and numerous journalists gathered near the home. Few official reports concerning the matter are currently available. EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in Yugoslavia closely and will provide additional details if/when they become available...
Crisis in Kosovo: 1999 Coverage by EmergencyNet News Service with Analysis by the Staff of the Emergency Response & Research Institute (More than 57 stories concerning the NATO campaign in Kosovo)
© EmergencyNet News Service, 2001. All rights reserved. May not
be redistributed or otherwise published without the expressed permission of ERRI/EmergencyNet
News.
Emergency Response & Research Institute
6348 N. Milwaukee Ave., #312
Chicago, IL. 60646
(773) 631-3774 - Voice
(773) 631-4703 - Fax
(773) 631-3467 - Modem/Emergency BBS On-Line
http://www.emergency.com - Main Webpage
webmaster@emergency.com - E-mail