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Published on Saturday, June 30, 2001 in the Independent / UK |
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How America Forced Yugoslavia to
Trade in Its Most Lucrative
Asset |
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by Andrew Buncombe and Vesna
Peric Zimonjic |
| Justice, honesty, the
rule of law and order and, of course, lots of money.
The decision to hand over Slobodan Milosevic to be tried for war crimes had more to do with the prospect of massive aid payments than it did with an overwhelming desire among his countrymen to deal with the former dictator. That much became clear yesterday at a donors' conference in Brussels where 44 nations donated a total of $1.28bn (£0.9bn) to help to rebuild Yugoslavia after 13 years of Mr Milosevic's rule. "We did it. Now it's your turn," Yugoslavia's Deputy Prime Minister, Miroljub Labus, told the conference in a clear reference to the handover of Mr Milosevic. "We promised a clear cut-off from the past. We are on that way." The European Commission pledged $445m (£315m) in addition to pledges from member states and the United States' $182m (£129m). The World Bank promised $150 (£106m) and Switzerland $22m (£16m). At a meeting in Washington last month, the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, told the Yugoslav President, Vojislav Kostunica, that America would boycott yesterday's conference if Mr Milosevic was not handed over. Mr Powell spoke twice in the past week with the Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, reiterating that message, and Mr Djindjic spoke with William Montgomery, the US ambassador, on Tuesday. The final decision to hand over Mr Milosevic to the international body was not, however, made until late on Wednesday evening at a meeting of the DOS – the government alliance. The only group to abstain was the Democratic Party of Serbia, led by Mr Kostunica, who was opposed to the handover. Just hours after the meeting, Mr Powell announced that America would attend the donors' meeting. Serbia had little option but to do whatever was needed to ensure the promise of aid. After 13 years of Mr Milosevic's economic mismanagement, Nato sanctions and the 78-day bombing campaign of 1999, the country currently suffers from an inflation rate of 150 per cent. Unemployment stands at about 50 per cent, while foreign debt is estimated to be $12bn (£8.5bn). That Serbia was "economically blackmailed" was not lost on observers. Aleksa Djilas, a Belgrade historian, told The New York Times: "We sold him for money and we won't really get very much money for it. The US is the natural leader of the world, but how [does it] lead? This just feeds the worst American instincts, reinforcing this bullying mentality." Johannes Linn, the World Bank president, said the organization would give priority to helping Yugoslavia balance its budget, rebuild energy networks and clear the Danube of wreckage left over by the NATO bombing, as well as focusing on reconstruction and social programs. © 2001 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd ### |
Miroslav Antic,
http://www.antic.org/
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