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UTTER AP propaganda. And guessing by the 'reporters' last name, likely courtesy of a Croat (although, I could be wrong). [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > [Maybe the predicted Serb civil-war that NATO is most probably planning > in > order to occupy the country will come sooner than later?] > > Spy Claim Saga Fuels Rift in Serbia > By SLOBODAN LEKIC > .c The Associated Press > > BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - The military said Saturday it might charge > Serbia's deputy prime minister with spying for the United States, > fueling > tensions between the Serbian leadership and army hard-liners left over > from > the era of Slobodan Milosevic. > > The arrest of Momcilo Perisic on Thursday has angered Washington, which > protested the treatment of an American diplomat in the case. The > diplomat was > detained along with Perisic and held for 15 hours, at one point > reportedly > with a hood over his head. > > The diplomat was released Friday, and Perisic was freed Saturday. But > controversy boiled over the detentions, which highlighted a rift between > > hard-line generals, backed by the Yugoslav president, and Serb leaders > trying > to impose civilian control on the military. > > Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said his deputy had been ``set > up'' and > that military intelligence was ``out of control.'' > > An adviser to the president of Montenegro, which along with Serbia makes > up > the Yugoslav federation, said the federal army was becoming > ``increasingly > dangerous.'' > > The arrest ``demonstrates that the military is not subject to any > parliamentary or civilian control,'' said the adviser, Blagoje Grahovac. > > > Military agents snatched Perisic and the U.S. diplomat, whom they > identified > as John David Neighbor, on Thursday night as the two dined together in a > > restaurant. Perisic was held on suspicion of passing secret documents to > the > American. > > Perisic and two other Yugoslavs arrested as well were released without > charge. But the military said Saturday that evidence pointed to ``the > criminal act of espionage,'' and the military prosecutor's office said > it > would examine the evidence to determine in the next few weeks whether to > > indict or not. > > ``I do not consider myself guilty,'' Perisic told the independent Beta > news > agency after his release. His aide, Nebojsa Mandic, said Perisic was > ``ready > to appear before state authorities ... and reveal a plot against him and > the > people of Serbia.'' > > Perisic was the head of the Yugoslav military until then-President > Milosevic > fired him in 1998 for criticizing the army's campaign in Kosovo. Since > Milosevic's fall in 2000, Perisic has continued his criticism, saying > Yugoslavia cannot grow closer to NATO until hard-line commanders from > the war > against the alliance are sacked. > > The army also distrusts Djindjic, who promotes close links with > Washington. > It has not forgiven the Serbian prime minister and his government for > delivering Milosevic to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Netherlands, > > where he is now on trial for alleged atrocities during the Balkan wars > of the > 1990s. > > Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica defended the army's actions as > being > within legal limits. > > ``Everything should be done to determine the real truth on the basis of > evidence,'' Kostunica said. The president, a nationalist who opposes > handing > over suspects to the Netherlands-based war crimes court, has been an > intense > political rival of Djindjic. > > The Yugoslav military said Saturday its arrest of Perisic had broken up > ``illegal activity.'' It said one of the suspects in the case, Lt. Col. > Miodrag Sekulic, had furnished Perisic with confidential documents, > ``some of > which he later passed on to a foreign citizen.'' > > Perisic's aide, Mandic, denied that Perisic had any such documents, and > Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic accused military agents of > planting > incriminating documents in Perisic's briefcase. > > The United States was ``forcefully protesting'' the treatment of the > diplomat > and ``this apparent move against an elected Serbian civilian official,'' > > State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Friday. > > The arrest comes as Djindjic has been pressing for reforms to bring the > military under civilian control. Kostunica and military hard-liners > favor > less radical changes such as reducing the army's size and reorganizing > its > command structure. > > ``This is the first time a serious attempt is being made to limit (the > military's) freedom of action and to make it accountable to > democratically > elected institutions,'' said Tanja Petovar, a coordinator for the > Southeast > European Democracy Support Network, a Brussels-based consultancy. > > After World War II, Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, himself a field > marshall, used the army to crush any opposition to communist rule. In > return, > the generals got a free hand to run the military and to build a > commercial > empire. > > In the early 1990s, the military backed Milosevic in his effort to carve > out > an enlarged Serbia from the remains of the old, six-member federation. > However, after losing four wars in the past decade, the army has been > additionally humiliated by revelations of human rights abuses and war > crimes. > > > AP-NY-03-16-02 1450EST > > > --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
