HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
Why waist precious bullets on yourself... Miroslav Antic wrote: > > > Copyright 2002 Associated Press > > April 11, 2002 Thursday 2:13 PM Eastern Time > > SECTION: INTERNATIONAL NEWS > HEADLINE: War crimes suspect shoots himself > BYLINE: DUSAN STOJANOVIC; Associated Press Writer > DATELINE: BELGRADE, Yugoslavia > > A former Serbian police chief indicted for war crimes shot himself in > the head Thursday, hours after the Yugoslav parliament adopted a law > that allows arrests and extraditions to the U.N. tribunal. > > Vlajko Stojiljkovic, who headed the police during former President > Slobodan Milosevic's reign, fired his pistol in front of the downtown > federal parliament building. Hospital sources said they were working > to save his life. > > A police officer at the scene in front of the parliament said > Stojiljkovic walked out of the parliament building shortly after 7 > p.m. (1700 GMT), appeared to hesitate a few minutes, and then calmly > pulled out a pistol and shot himself. He was seen lying in a pool of > blood in front of the parliament building's large wooden door. > > Just a few hours earlier, lawmakers had passed a law that removes > legal obstacles for the arrest and extradition of top associates of > Milosevic and other war crimes suspects to the tribunal in The Hague, > Netherlands. > > The extradition law - which applies to about 20 suspects hiding in > Yugoslavia - was approved by an 80-39 vote in the 138-seat lower > parliament chamber, with the other deputies absent. The 40-seat upper > house approved the law Wednesday and it will take effect upon > publication in the official gazette, expected within days. > > Before the vote, Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic, who is in > charge of police, predicted quick action. > "It can be expected that all the suspects will be handed over to The > Hague tribunal by May 1," Zivkovic said. > > To satisfy a demand by lawmakers from Montenegro, the smaller of > Yugoslavia's two republics, who are former allies of Milosevic, the > law applies only to suspects already indicted by the U.N. tribunal. > Any indicted later would be tried by Yugoslav courts, it says. > > The law - strongly opposed by allies of Milosevic, who was extradited > to the court last year - allows a district court judge to issue > warrants and order police to detain suspects. A suspect's transfer to > the tribunal would occur within a few weeks, allowing time for > appeal. > Besides Stojiljkovic, the suspects likely to be extradited first were > top Milosevic associates indicted along with the ex-president in > connection with atrocities during the 1998-99 crackdown on ethnic > Albanians in Kosovo. > > They include Gen. Dragoljub Ojdanic, a former army commander and > Nikola Sainovic, a former security adviser. > > One of the most wanted suspects, Bosnian Serb wartime military leader > Gen. Ratko Mladic, is believed to be hiding near Belgrade, in > Yugoslavia. He was indicted for genocide in 1995 along with former > Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, who is thought to be > in Bosnia. > > In addition to allowing extradition, the law will also give U.N. > prosecutors access to archives, witnesses and other sources relevant > to investigating war crimes. > > Djindjic, who had faced tough opposition from nationalists and > supporters of Milosevic for advocating cooperation with the tribunal, > said the law will resolve "all the problems we had with The Hague > court and the American administration." > > The law's passage removes the major obstacle cited opponents of > extraditions, including Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, who > has > stressed that suspects should not be sent to the U.N. court without a > law regulating the process. Lawmakers from Kostunica's party voted in > favor of the bill Thursday, leaving only Milosevic allies against it. > The leaders of Serbia, the larger of Yugoslavia's republics, > effectively set the country's policy. Serbian Prime Minister Zoran > Djindjic was the key architect of Milosevic's arrest and extradition, > which was carried out despite resistance from rivals. Milosevic is > now > on trial for his alleged role in atrocities committed by his troops > in > Kosovo, Bosnia and Croatia. > > The United States has demanded that the other suspects also be handed > over to the U.N. court. The U.S. Congress had set a March 31 deadline > for economically struggling Yugoslavia to cooperate with the tribunal > or lose tens of millions of dollars in financial assistance and U.S. > support for loans from international organizations. > > With the deadline passed, no U.S. assistance checks can be written > for > Yugoslavia until Powell certifies the country's compliance. > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > > --------------------------- 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 ==^================================================================
