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.

[FormerLib]

And even if t hey weren't, they should have been, right libbie?

Somedays, your babble goes beyond incomprehensible!

Better tell the mullahs that you need a refresher on your English classes 'cause you just aren't making any sense at all.

[wonders]

This is not lining up helpless prisoners and blowing their brains out after they have surrendered, just because they are Muslims.

Ah, they did blow out the brains of helpless prisoners, but not just because they were Muslims. I suppose it doesn't count if the victims weren't Muslims, at least not to you. Pardon me, sir, but your racism is showing.

[wonders]

Was the extermination planned for weeks befehand by the highest levels of the Croatian government? Was it deliberate government policy?

Yes, it was. But in the Srebrenica, there was no such long-range planning, and there is considerable evidence that it was not planned well in advance, but rather only the enclave fell.

...unless there was a planned government operation to deliberately murder captured prisoners, it was not genocide.

Hmm. According to your definition, what happened in Krajina was "genocide" while what happened in Srebrenica was not. Interesting.

[RussianConservative]

That is funny because I go to Bosnia as part of UN mission and I saw ZERO orthodox churches built on unsanctified Islamic ground or even hear of single one....but like Arabs, you accuse enemies of very crimes that you commit, that is Islamic practice to build on other people's holy worship place, not Christianity's. Good attempt though.

[RussianConservative]

You muslims give many reasons, 13 centuaries of them, through savage nature and destruction of jihad...no new reasons needed, billion old ones....and your claim to being Christian I find funny...do you even know basic foundation blocks of all Christianity?

[RussianConservative]

If you knew anything about the place, you'd know that every Mosque in the former Yugoslavia was built upon the foundation of a destroyed Church.>>>

And even if t hey weren't, they should have been, right libbie?

Make assinine statement, get call on it and then try counter accuse to avoid showing guilt...typical of you Islamo, typical. To bad this society of West is well educated and not dirt clods of middle east with 2nd grade education who believe what gas you pass for logic.

[Lion in Winter]

He never makes sense. What a moroon!!

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Where did you spend your time in Bosnia?

I can name at least four with which I was personally acquainted. One was the "new" Orthodox Church in Srebrenica. A second was at Konjevic Polje north of Bratunac across the street from the gas station at the main intersection. A third was in Doboj, in the NORDPOL sector. A fourth was in Brcko, just inside the RS half, on Route Arizona.

Of course, I am sure you had a LOT of practice at closing your eyes to what was right in front of your face.

You guys scream whenever the Muslims refuse to denounce the terrorism of other Muslims. But when it comes to your fellow Orthodox, you act just like them.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

You muslims give many reasons, 13 centuaries of them,>>>

What you mean 'we' paleface? Christ is risen, Muhammad sucks and Islam is a barbarous creed.... that phrase is enough for the *real* Islamonazis to want to kill ME.

But that is still no excuse for committing genocide against those who think that Muhammad is the voice of God, wrong as they are.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Yeah, I should just be singing, Elmer Fudd like, "Kill de Musswims, kill de Musswims, Kill de Musswims" to the tune of Ride of the Valkyries, just so you might approve of me, right? I don't think so.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

You might try to stop racist cursing in Serbian (as you are in your tagline) and learn a little English. I realize it's not your first language. (Not that Serbian is, either, which is why you grunt and point so much on line.)

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Ah, they did blow out the brains of helpless prisoners, but not just because they were Muslims.>>>

Yeah, I forgot: it was also because they were still breathing. Had someone else hit them in the head with a fireaxe they wouldn't have bothered to shoot them, would they?

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Somedays, your babble goes beyond incomprehensible!>>>

Have you considered "Hooked on Phonics"?

[wonders]

Yeah, I forgot: it was also because they were still breathing. Had someone else hit them in the head with a fireaxe they wouldn't have bothered to shoot them, would they?

What on earth are you trying to say? That the Croats should have hit in the head with "fireaxes"? I don't get it.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

What on earth are you trying to say? That the Croats should have hit in the head with "fireaxes"? I don't get it.
>>>

Try to, you know, read.

They didn't kill them because they were just Muslims, they killed them because they were LIVING Muslims. They wouldn't have bothered to kill them if someone else had killed them instead. Get it now?

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

Yes, it was. But in the Srebrenica, there was no such long-range planning, >>>

Of course there was, that has been repeatedly established by investigators and the trial court of the Hague. We have the orders; we have the interviews with the truck driving companies and the earth movers indicating they were told to plan for the operation three weeks again. Next question?

[wonders]

Ahem. It should have been obvious that I was referring to the killing of Serbs by Croats and Muslims. So go back and read my post #62 which is in reply to your post #35.

Hint: there's this nifty little number at the bottom of each post showing to which post it's in reply.

[wonders]

Three weeks? Really? Then why don't you send that evidence to The Dutch Institute for War Documentation? They seem to have lots of evidence that the decision was taken after the fall of Srebrenica.

[wonders]

Really? Good to meet someone else who was there, RC! I guess we never met or weren't in the same place at the same time. Glad we met here.

[Lion in Winter]

He NEVER makes sense.