>From: "mart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Forward from mart. >Please distribute widely. >***************************** >Solidarity with Yugoslavia! >Against NATO, U.S Imperlialism >and the New World Order! >************************************* >From: Michel Collon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Date: October 1, 2000 4:03 PM >Subject: Tr : [Eternera] WARNING!!! All corporate media info about >Yugoslavia should be considered HIGHLY suspect. Here comes the October >surprise. >>> ============================================================= >>> October 1 2000 >>> EASTERN EUROPE >>> >>> >>> >>> Chinese banks hold $200m of regime's loot >>> � >>> Looking for a way out: Milosevic and his wife, Mira, who may >>> already have fled. Photographs: Sasa Stankovic >>> Nato guards escape routes as >>> Milosevic makes plans to flee >>> >>> Tom Walker, Podgorica >>> NATO and western intelligence >>> networks are closely >>> monitoring all flights out of >>> Belgrade in the belief that >>> President Slobodan Milosevic >>> may flee to China, where he is >>> thought to have up to $200m >>> (�140m) in secret bank >>> accounts. >>> >>> The surveillance operation >>> began even before Milosevic >>> lost last week's presidential >>> election. Diplomats watching >>> the decline of the Serbian >>> regime said that in the past >>> six weeks Borka Vucic, >>> Milosevic's personal banker, >>> had made at least two trips to >>> Beijing. Their sources said her >>> business was connected with >>> the president's family and not >>> the Yugoslav state. >>> >>> American officials say Nato will >>> thwart any attempt by Milosevic to escape from Serbia in a >>> private jet. His likely flight path would take him over >>> Hungary or Romania to Russia, which would probably turn >>> a blind eye if he moved on to Beijing. >>> >>> However, Hungary is a Nato member and Romania hopes >>> to join the alliance. Both countries have interceptor >>> aircraft on standby, ready to force down any private >>> flights from Serbia. >>> >>> Military sources in Bosnia said Nato surveillance had been >>> briefed to look out for a private Falcon jet or the Yugoslav >>> government's official DC10. >>> >>> The whereabouts of Milosevic's wife, Mira Markovic, who >>> was reported to have suffered a nervous breakdown, and >>> children, Marko and Maria, were unknown yesterday. >>> Intelligence officials said they were more concerned with >>> the movements of the president himself, who has been >>> indicted by the international criminal tribunal for the >>> former Yugoslavia in the Hague for crimes against >>> humanity in Kosovo. >>> >>> The officials said Madeleine Albright, the American >>> secretary of state, was determined to bring Milosevic to >>> justice before the end of the Clinton administration in >>> January. >>> >>> The Milosevic regime is believed to have robbed the state >>> of up to $5 billion, most of it leached out of the country in >>> the early 1990s after all personal bank accounts were >>> frozen in Serbia, ostensibly to help fund the war effort and >>> to counter hyper-inflation. >>> >>> Much of the money was taken to Cyprus, Lebanon and >>> China, and classic money-laundering techniques have >>> made it almost untraceable. Although Milosevic has never >>> indulged himself on the scale of the former Ceausescu >>> dynasty in neighbouring Romania, his security bills are >>> huge and his Chinese savings are believed to be >>> substantial. >>> >>> "We believe he could have anything up to $200m there," >>> said one intelligence source. "It will help him to hide >>> away." >>> >>> Vucic has helped Milosevic with his finances since they >>> worked together at Beogradska Bank 20 years ago. She is >>> now the minister in charge of co- operation with >>> international financial institutions. >>> >>> Intelligence sources say western capitals are watching >>> the movements of members of the Yugoslav regime who >>> may be thought by Milosevic to know too much. They >>> include military figures such as General Dragoljub Ojdanic, >>> the army chief of staff during the Kosovo campaign, and >>> Frenki Simatovic, the head of anti-terrorist forces. >>> >>> Milosevic is also wary of fellow politicians such as Milan >>> Milutinovic, the Serbian president, and Vlajko Stojilkovic, >>> the interior minister. >>> >>> "The future is very difficult for all of them," said one >>> western source. "They'd love to get out, but Slobo has to >>> have them somewhere where he can control them." >>> >>> The source said some members of the regime had already >>> made secret trips to Budapest, the Hungarian capital, >>> offering information on the intricacies of the Belgrade >>> machine in exchange for visas to safe havens. >>> >>> Stojilkovic is said to have been harshly treated last week. >>> Police sources say that he was told by Markovic to bring >>> his most ruthless units onto the streets of Belgrade, but >>> that many had refused. >>> >>> As the extent of police and army sympathy for the >>> opposition became known, Milosevic was said to have >>> hurled an ashtray at Gorica Gajevic, his party secretary. >>> >>> In Milosevic's home town of Pozarevac, local people said >>> they had heard the family was selling property. A cafe >>> owned by Marko Milosevic has closed down and his >>> Bambiland theme park has shut early for the winter. >>> >>> For his part, however, the president has looked confident >>> on state television. Yesterday afternoon he attended a >>> military academy's passing out parade and declared that >>> he would not bow to pressure. >>> >>> "We will counter pressures and threats with the truth, >>> unity, knowledge, work and creativity, just as we did >>> successfully under the Nato aggression and in the >>> subsequent reconstruction of our country," Milosevic said. >>> "We are sure that our country, which managed to defend >>> itself in a war, can also successfully resist these other >>> psychological, media and political pressures." >>> >>> Milosevic also claimed Yugoslavia was now pursuing a >>> policy of peace. Its period of wars "is now behind us", he >>> said. >>> >>> A source close to Vojislav Kostunica, the opposition >>> leader, said concern was growing that Milosevic's tactic of >>> divide-and-rule may work. Opposition groups behind >>> Kostunica have discussed the feasibility of forcing the >>> president from power through a general strike. Last night, >>> they called for a "total blockade of all state institutions >>> and general civil disobedience" to start from Monday. >>> >>> If Kostunica seeks help from outside Serbia to speed >>> Milosevic's demise, he could hand the president a >>> propaganda coup. Unconfirmed reports over the weekend >>> claimed foreign diplomats had met Kostunica to discuss >>> the possibility of bringing mediators into Serbia to >>> negotiate Milosevic's departure. >>> >>> Last night, President Vladimir Putin of Russia said he was >>> willing to send Igor Ivanov, his foreign minister, to >>> Belgrade "to be more active in the process". >>> >>> However, Putin insisted: "The position of Russia is clear - >>> the Yugoslav people must decide their ultimate fate and >>> future without the interference of outside elements." >>> >>> Greece also offered mediation and said it was willing to >>> send observers to monitor a new count of election votes. >>> Milosevic's federal election commission claimed Kostunica >>> had beaten him by 49% to 39%, falling short of the 50% >>> required for a first-round victory. Kostunica has refused to >>> fight a second round next Sunday, insisting he secured >>> well over 50%. >>> >>> However, the election commission rejected complaints of >>> voting irregularities, insisting yesterday that no recount >>> was needed. >>> >>> As the standoff intensified, the Yugoslav army seemed to >>> be shifting its allegiance away from Milosevic. According to >>> a high-ranking officer, at least one member of the army >>> general staff has resigned. >>> >>> In a further blow, the commanding officers turned down >>> Milosevic's request for a meeting to discuss the outcome >>> of the election, saying in a fax from headquarters that the >>> army "has no functional link with the parties taking part". >>> >>> A western diplomat in Podgorica, capital of Serbia's sister >>> state of Montenegro, described Milosevic as "like a >>> wounded buffalo who has taken a couple of rounds - he >>> can still stagger around and cause a lot of damage". >>> >>> Additional reporting: Edin Hamzic, Ana Webber and Alex >>> Todorovic, Belgrade >>> > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. 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