Serbia to pay Milosevic, fellow suspects at Hague

Haaretz ^ | 3/30/2004 | Reuters

[yonif]

BELGRADE - Slobodan Milosevic and other war crimes indictees will be paid by the Serbian taxpayer for as long as they are on trial at the Hague tribunal, under controversial legislation adopted by parliament on Tuesday.

The bill, proposed by ultranationalists and backed by Milosevic's Socialist Party, was adopted with ease on the eve of an annual U.S. ruling on whether Serbia is cooperating with the court and can continue receiving aid.

Opponents said it was a poorly-disguised gesture of defiance to the West and a payoff to Socialists for their backing of the minority government of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, a longtime critic of the United Nations tribunal.

Diplomats expect U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will not be able to certify Belgrade's compliance, triggering suspension of aid worth some e50 million this year.

"If he decides that certification is not possible tomorrow it does not close the possibility that certification might be possible some time in the future," visiting U.S. Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman said after talks with Kostunica.

In 2002, the aid was frozen for almost two months.

New attitude to The Hague The new law provides all Serbian war crimes indictees at the UN tribunal with compensation for lost salaries, plus help to spouses, siblings, parents and children for flight and hotel costs, telephone and mail bills, visa fees and legal charges.

Embraced by Kostunica's conservatives, the bill marks a first step in "two-way" cooperation with The Hague, his policy for redressing what he views as abject obedience in the past. "This is a sign that Serbia is changing its attitude to the Hague Tribunal," said acting Radical leader Tomislav Nikolic.

The past government of pro-Western reformists had treated all those who were not part of the anti-Milosevic movement as "war criminals...and...their families as enemies," he said.

A fellow Radical told parliament that compensation was meant to help "people who are guilty only of being Serbs".

Opposition Democrats had urged parliament to see the bill for what it was - a pro-Milosevic snub to the West.

"This is payback for (Socialist) support for the minority government," said outgoing foreign minister Goran Svilanovic. "What Radicals want is for the state to pay Slobodan Milosevic."

He reminded deputies that most Serbs in the Hague process, though not Milosevic, already got financial help from the state.

Ex-president Milosevic is mid-way through his genocide trial and ex-president Milan Milutinovic is waiting his turn along with Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj, whose deputy Nikolic is front-runner in presidential elections expected this summer.

The West would regard his victory as disastrous for Serbia.

So while the United States continues to press Belgrade to hand over 16 indictees to The Hague - fugitive former Bosnian Serb Army commander General Ratko Mladic tops the list - it is also anxious to give Kostunica's month-old government a chance.

Whether Washington views the new law as a provocation or a necessary move to placate nationalist voters remains to be seen.

[BayouCoyote]

I thought that the British magistrate stepped down because he was "feeling" ill, and how will this change the outcome of his trail? Any input would be appreciated.

[LjubivojeRadosavljevic]

What's worse, is that in Croatia, a Serb can be just walking down the street and get stopped (for no reason at all) and held for "war crimes".

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

In other news, the German government will continue to pay Hermann Goering and the others in the dock at Nuremberg their full salary until the Allies hang them.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Yeah, that's almost as bad as a mass murderer being elected to office in the "Republika Srpska". Almost never happens tho. Almost.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

LjubivojeRadosavljevic
Since Feb 3, 2004

Welcome (back?).

[LjubivojeRadosavljevic]

Well Ronly Bonly....so nice to hear from you.

[Seselj]

I think this is a bad move. For one, this money could be put to better use. Unfortunately for the Serbs in the Hague, what happens to them is of no consequence to Serbia, so why force Serbian taxpayers to pay for it? For another, Milosevic stole millions and his son parties every day in Russia. His family can more than support him.

[ehoxha]

Lets figure this one out

Clinton's buddies have spent $100mm per year since 1998 on the ICTY more than $600mm

and now they Hum Warriors are getting bent out of shape that Belgrade is going to ante up a few hundred grand to pay for a few defense lawyers ? The ICTY is a corrupt pit of Clinton foreign policy hacks

[ehoxha]

Unfortunately for the Serbs in the Hague, what happens to them is of no consequence to Serbia, so why force Serbian taxpayers to pay for it?

wrong answer, deeply wrong for the ICTY is a poltical instrument designed to force Serbs to pay huge damages.

Ads for Milosevic's vaunted zillions............the dossies and their Clintonite buddies spent a few years searching and they found nothing. Every single offshore money haven opened up their accounts...........simply nothing.

Milosevic didn't steal anything. That is a canard offered by Soros to hide that fact that Soros and his gang are looting your country.

[ehoxha]

Do you think we'll pay for Clinton, Clark, and ALbright's defense when their time comes at the ICTY ?

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Do you think we'll pay for Clinton, Clark, and ALbright's defense when their time comes at the ICTY ?

We won't have to. They will never be put on trial because United States did not commit genocide in the former Yugoslavia, unlike certain Serbian leaders I know.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

War criminal. n. From Serbian. Anyone who faces Serbs in armed combat and wins.

[Seselj]

You're just a pro-Milosevic commie pretending to be a Serbian patriot in order to push your communist agenda. If he didn't steal any money, how did his daughter afford a radio station? How does his son live so lavishly in Russia? I'm not denying that the ICTY has a strong anti-Serbian bias, but supporting Milosevic with lots of money isn't the way to combat this bias.

[ohioman]

We should have let Milo clear Kosovo of the terrorist UCK! The mistake the USA made is now clearer after 9/11.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Good, good, more internal Serbonazi dissention. Maybe the two of you will spend all of your time bitching about Slobo's communism and not have any time left over to advocate extermination of helpless Muslims.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

The mistake the US made was clear after 7/11. of 1995.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Judging from history, that's just about everybody except unarmed Bosnian teenagers. And then only for a couple of years.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Serbocommunism IS Serbonaziism. THe only difference it the ideology behind the murders. All else is nonsense.

[FormerLib]

War criminal. n. From Serbian. Anyone who faces Serbs in armed combat and wins.

About as accurate as most of the nonsense you post (HINT: that means not at all).

And I'm sure you don't consider Clinton's little tactic of dropping cluster bombs on Serbian school children to have been a war crime. After all, they were only Serb children, yes? Not someone a decent man such as yourself would ever lower himself to be concerned about.