 15:42
2003-03-03
Outcome
Serbian
radical leader Vojislav Seselj was the last who “on his free will”
left for the Hague
The International Tribunal in the
Hague sentenced former Serb President in Bosnia, Biljana Plavsic to
eleven years of imprisonment. Plavsic was found guilty of promoting
ethnic cleansing on the Bosnian territory in 1992-1994. Hague
tribunal prosecutor Carla del Ponte insisted that imprisonment for
Plavsic must be from 15 to 25 years.
Former president of Bosnian
Serbs voluntarily handed herself over to the Hague Tribunal and
pleaded guilty “of crimes against humanity”, one of the charges
brought against her. However, Biljana Plavsic, 72, disagreed with
the strict sentence of the Tribunal and declared her intention to
appeal against the unjust court decision. Besides, Plavsic’s
attorneys asked the Hague judges to allow the accused to remain free
until the appeal is considered.
However, this will hardly ever
have any effect. “The political tribunal in the Hague”, as Serbs
call it, has already clearly demonstrated which side it takes when
the tragic events in Yugoslavia in the 1990s are considered. The
tribunal is on the side of those who are now going to administer a
“tribunal” of their own in Iraq.
At the same time, instances of
“voluntarily surrenders” of Serbs to the Hague, that have become
frequent recently, demonstrate that they openly “admit their guilt.”
Even if we assume there is guilt indeed, it is all the same just a
part of the guilt as compared with doings of Alija Izetbegovic or
Franjo Tudjman against their opponents. Can you remember at least
one high-ranking official or a military man among Bosnian Moslems
and Croats who publicly repented for the bygone doings or on his
free will left for the Hague tribunal (that was created against the
international law) to prove the justice? General Janko Bobetko, whom
prosecutors from the Hague finally decided to summon to the
tribunal, has been restoring his health in a Croatian sanatorium for
several months already; a personal letter written by Croatia Prime
Minister Ivica Racan is a guarantee of the general’s immunity for
the whole period of this “medical treatment”.
As for Serbs,
was it actually free will of Serbian President Milan Milutinovic,
who just recently quitted the post, to hand himself over to the
tribunal? Was it Plavsic’s own decision to go to the tribunal? Was
it on his own free will that leader of the Serb Radical party
Vojislav Seselj bought a ticket to the Hague right the next day
after his triumphant re-election leader of the Serb Radical party?
Majority of the population considered Seselj the only alternative to
pro-western politicians from the Serb Democratic Opposition. Former
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic also shared the opinion and
asked all Serbian patriots, irrespective of their party belonging to
vote for Seselj at the presidential elections. And the list of
Serbian “volunteers” who left for the Hague can be continued.
It seems that moral and psychological pressure is growing
too unbearable in Serbia. Seselj confessed the fact himself: “I
don’t feel safe in Serbia.” His words sounded a sentence.
Unfortunately, forced extradition of Slobodan Milosevic in
June of 2001, the measure organized by Serbian authorities against
the background of increasing apathy of the population, became not
only “a precedent.” Something broke down in people’s conscience when
the man who embodied the whole of Serbia’s repulse to NATO military
aggression was extradited. It was an enormous national humiliation
when the Man was put in an ordinary prison lorry to be
delivered to the airport and further to Carla del Ponte.
The
extradition was something deeply symbolic and having some higher
sacral meaning. Slobodan Milosevic was extradited on a day sacred
for all Serbs, the national holiday of Vidovdan. On this day the
whole of the country celebrates the historic battle with Turks on
the field of Kosovo that took place in 1389, the battle that had as
much importance for Serbs as Russia’s battle of the field of
Kulikovo. There are just few people who remember Milosevic’s last
words before he boarded the plane; he said: “Do
you know today is the Day of Saint Vitus?”
In
response to the words, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said in
an interview to local TV: “Milosevic urged for realization of ideals
of heavenly Serbia, but Serbian government pledged to realize ideals
of the earthly one.”
Sergey Stefanov
PRAVDA.Ru
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