Additional explanation: The Federal Constitutional Court which was a serious institution was dissolved after the abolishment of Yugoslavia. Judges of the Constitutional Court of Serbia were appointed in the period of Djindjic dictatorship. The 'public pressure' mentioned below is a chorus scream of the US paid obscure NGO's whose 'prominent members' appeared in desperation of loosing any significance. The decision was made this morning to release the Government from the burden to issue a Decree on the session later today which would make the implementation of the Law possible. Issuing of that Decree was a Government's obligation according to the Law. The problem was that Minister of Finance Dinkic (one of the leaders of G17+ Party, which abstained from vote on the Law) announced that he has prepared a decree which would cut Milosevic and Seselj from any assistance. Such a Decree would overrule the Law itself, drafted by the leading opposition Serbian Radical Party and the leading governmental Democratic Party of Serbia. Possible lack of consent on the Decree on the session of the Government could produce a threat to its survival. So, the best solution was a solomonic solution - of course on the detriment of the national interests.
****************************************************************** Associated Press Worldstream April 15, 2004 Thursday 7:59 AM Eastern Time HEADLINE: Constitutional court suspends disputed law aiding war crimes suspects BYLINE: JOVANA GEC; Associated Press Writer DATELINE: BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro Serbia's Constitutional Court on Thursday suspended a disputed law allocating financial and other benefits to Slobodan Milosevic and fellow war crimes suspects jailed at the U.N. war crimes tribunal. The court issued a "temporary ban" until it decides on a final ruling. The court said that its move is based on Serbia's Constitution stipulating that all citizens of the republic are "equal and enjoy equal rights and duties." Serbia's parliament - which passed the law last month - can respond within 30 days, the court added. Disputing the ruling, Milosevic's loyalists in the parliament, who drafted the law, accused the Constitutional Court of being a "political institution," they said was controlled by the previous, pro-Western government. Separately, Djordje Mamula, an aide to Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, urged the court to provide more detail on its decision and told the Beta news agency that the move was the result of public pressure. The legislation formally came into effect when passed March 31 but no payments have been made due in part to disputes over who - if anyone - should benefit. It stipulates that the state pays expenses, including phone bills and family visits for Milosevic and other war crimes suspects being tried or awaiting trial by the tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. It also grants them financial help for legal expenses and pays for postage on packages mailed them by family members. The law was drafted and approved by legislators loyal to Milosevic, and opposed by the pro-Western Democratic Party, which led the 2000 rebellion against Milosevic and extradited him to the U.N. tribunal in 2001 to face charges stemming from the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Approval last month is an illustration of the revival of the nationalists who won December elections in Serbia, allowing them to form a government led by Kostunica and supported in the parliament by Milosevic's Socialists. Officials from Kostunica's government have argued that the law would encourage the fugitive war crimes suspects to surrender voluntarily, but critics have claimed that the law rewards Milosevic and associates they say bankrupted Serbia. The Constitutional Court debate on the law followed a motion by the Democrats and a number of human rights groups, which disputed its legality because it provides aid only to war crimes suspects before the Hague tribunal and not to others tried in the country. Explaining its decision to suspend the law, the Constitutional Court said that the move was necessary because "application of the law could violate basic constitutional rights," the official Tanjug news agency reported. ****************************************************************** TRUTH OR SLAVERY, HUMILIATION AND DESTRUCTION OF SERBIAN NATION http://www.icdsm.org/battle.htm THE DECISIVE BATTLE FOR TRUTH NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW! ****************************************************************** SLOBODA urgently needs your donation. Please find the detailed instructions at: http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm To join or help this struggle, visit: http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association) http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan Milosevic) http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM) http://www.icdsm-us.org/ (US section of ICDSM) http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland) http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council) http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center) Serbian News Network - SNN [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.antic.org/
