Milosevic Knew About Secret Police Work in Kosovo

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Slobodan Milosevic's secret police chief during the Kosovo conflict has said his boss was informed about work carried out by the secret service but denied the former Yugoslav strongman had direct control over it.

In an interview from jail, Rade Markovic, who ran Serbia's powerful State Security (DB) agency in the final years of Milosevic's rule, acknowledged crimes were committed in Kosovo but said he did not know of paramilitary units operating there.

For the Reuters interview, Markovic responded in writing to questions passed on to him by his lawyer Dusan Masic.

Markovic's comments may interest the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, trying Milosevic for atrocities committed in Kosovo, Bosnia and Croatia. Tribunal investigators have questioned Markovic, who says he is ready to testify for the prosecution or the defense.

"In my opinion, a person in charge may be responsible only for acts he ordered. He cannot be responsible for any violation of the law by individuals," Markovic said.

"Slobodan Milosevic's responsibility should be looked for in that context. If there is any, it's up to a court to prove."

But the tribunal's statute sees responsibility differently. To convict Milosevic, prosecutors must prove only that he was aware or should have been aware that war crimes were being committed and did nothing to stop them or punish the guilty.

Markovic is in jail pending the outcome of a domestic trial in which he denies involvement in the murder of four foes of Milosevic.

Markovic, who served as DB boss for few more months after reformers toppled Milosevic in 2000, succeeded long serving state security chief Jovica Stanisic in November 1998.

Local media have made much of a document Stanisic recently handed back to state archives which showed Milosevic once had direct control over the Serbian State Security agency. Yugoslavia's government has declassified the document so tribunal investigators can see it.

But Markovic poured cold water on the importance of the document, saying it had been scrapped before 1999, the year covered by Milosevic's Kosovo indictment.

Markovic said Serbian President Milan Milutinovic annulled the arrangement whereby the president had direct control of the secret service and returned control to the Interior Ministry.

"After that, Milosevic did not have direct command over the DB. He was the first in a string of officials whom the service reported to ... on a daily basis about existing problems within areas of its responsibility," Markovic said.

Markovic said he did not fear joining his former boss at the war crimes court as he had no direct involvement in Kosovo.

Last year Serbian police alleged Markovic was present at a meeting of top officials in March 1999 at which Milosevic ordered the removal from Kosovo of evidence of civilian casualties which could interest war crimes investigators.

Markovic said Milosevic had given an order to clean up after the Kosovo conflict but indicated the operation was normal practice after combat, not an attempt to cover up evidence.

"A clean up means to remove unexploded mines and explosive devices, chemicals, equipment, dead cattle as well as to identify and take care of the dead," he said.

He said uniformed police were in charge of the task, adding "the State Security didn't have anything to do with it."

>>>>>>But the tribunal's statute sees responsibility differently. To convict Milosevic, prosecutors must prove only that he was aware or should have been aware that war crimes were being committed and did nothing to stop them or punish the guilty.<<<<<

In other words, ICTY has no evidence for trumped up charges. This brings another perspective. Guilt by 'should be aware' clause.

As early as 1996 ICTY judges and prosecutors received material (video footage obtained by Croatian secret service) describing OBL mujahideen training in Bosnia. Lawyers, Judges and prosecutors who are American citizens could be charged with conspiracy for 911 because they did nothing to prosecute OBL network. Sooner or later, Homeland Security Office will look into it.

Stay tuned.

Funny how the title of this post is completely the opposite of what is said in the article.

That was my first thought, also! If somebody can get prosecuted for what they "didn't know" or "should have known", then I nominate Hitlery. How many times did she reply "I don't recall" in her grand jury testimony? Wasn't it something like 2 billion times?

the operation was normal practice after combat, not an attempt to cover up evidence.

"A clean up means to remove unexploded mines and explosive devices, chemicals, equipment, dead cattle as well as to identify and take care of the dead," he said.

more bad news for the prosecution, yet another 'insider' provides evidence for the defense, despite being held in prison and no doubt offered all sorts of HumWarrior style "inducements" to invent anti-Serb tales.

To convict Milosevic, prosecutors must prove only that he was aware or should have been aware that war crimes were being committed and did nothing to stop them or punish the guilty.

But, Milosevic did order the yugoslav military to shoot down the NATO planes that were committing war crimes and the courts have convicted NATO leaders of war crimes!

he also tried to stop KLA war crimes........in that he and Kfor are now on the same side......Kfor has arrested or cashiered virtually the KLA officer corps for attacks on their fellow Albanians

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