Report: Before assassination, Serb leader complained that West neglected the problem of Kosovo

AP ^ | Thu Mar 13, 6:38 AM ET | AP

[Hoplite]

No, Hamiltonian - the Albanian drug gangs are a problem, but bringing them into the conversation doesn't do you any good whatsoever - they've never killed any heads of state, or enjoyed the fruits of a symbiotic relationship with a government the way that the Serbian Mafia did under Milosevic.

[Southack]

The key to the Serbian puzzle resides with the answer to the question:

Why haven't the Serbs been complaining to every reporter with a TV, tape recorder, or notepad about the French/German double-standard on going to war (as they did in 1999 in Kosovo) without the UN...compared to their stand against the U.S. doing the same thing this year against Iraq?

Anything outside of that question, such as ridiculous speculation about crime lords taking an action that yields no direct profit but that would bring the entire military down on them if caught, is little more than useless distraction.

[Hoplite]

By your rather pathetically flawed logic Osama couldn't possibly be a prime suspect for 9-11, given the results of his actions, could he?

No profit, massive retaliation, hunted to extinction, etc.

Try to think your statement through next time before you hit "post" - it's bad enough we have idiots who can't see past tomorrow running around killing people in this world without having to suffer the efforts of the IQ challenged trying to cover for them.

[Destro]

Bad logic on Osama, Hoplite. Osama seeks martyrdom and wants the heat. Mafia wants no heat.

[Southack]

"By your rather pathetically flawed logic Osama couldn't possibly be a prime suspect for 9-11, given the results of his actions, could he? No profit, massive retaliation, hunted to extinction, etc."

You *are* an odd sort, aren't you?! After 8 years of Clinton lobbing a couple of cruise missiles and calling it a day, you really think that Osama was concerned about real retaliation? Moreover, since when do Mujaheeden on a jihad consider *profit* above all else (i.e. your analogy is lacking)?!

No, you have to answer the central question (i.e. "why" has Serbia been silent about France/Germany's double-standard on going to war without the UN) before you can even begin to put together the Serbian puzzle.

... and judging by your 1 dimensional posts on this thread, that question is vastly beyond you.

[Hoplite]

Osama thought he could count on his confederates throughout the world to rally to his cause, but didn't have the pulse of the Muslim world as well as he thought he did. Net result, his miscalculations regarding American resolve and Muslim support resulted in his losing his little caliphate in Afghanistan and his losing any chance of extending that domain over the Saudi peninsula.

Legija was the head of the JSO, the Serbian Red Berets, and still maintains close ties with that organization. The Red Berets are full of individuals who are worried about being carted off to the Hague, and have staged a mini-revolt based upon those concerns. In addition, the Armed Forces and civil structures in Serbia are still rife with Milosevic era cronies who's day of reckoning is coming.

Perhaps you haven't been paying attention to recent arrests in Serbia of individuals who had mob ties and blocked investigations on behalf of the Serbian mob, to include the murder of Ivan Stambolic?

The matter is simply put thusly - Legija counted on the decapitated Serbian government to be intimidated into inaction and the scum left over from the Milosevic era to cover his tracks and obstruct any efforts mounted to bring him to justice.

But like Osama, Legija miscalculated the response of his opponents and the effectiveness of his supporters.

Whatever - you're much smarter and well informed than little old one dimensional me, so good luck with getting an answer to your 'price of tea in China' question regarding the French and Germans.

[Southack]

You just keep tossing various excuses, hoping that one will stick. That's simplistic rubbish.

The Red Beret's and/or mafia didn't knock anyone off to save Milosovich 4 years ago, so claiming that they would do so now, years later, to save even lower-level players stretches credulity.

Nor did this hit happen in a vacuum; the hit happened during the run-up to the new war on Iraq, something that intimately involves the politics of the major European players, two of whom have vested interests in keeping the Serbs silent about their "go-to-war-without-theUN" double standard.

Keep trying, kid. Who knows, you may one day come up with some propaganda or slander that leads the less-educated down your path yet.

[Hoplite]

The Red Berets and the Mafia didn't knock anyone off when Milosevic was overthrown was because they weren't the ones going to be carted off to the Hague.

With the arrest and extradition to the Hague of Predrag and Nenad Banovic, that changed - the government would no longer protect it's criminals and a war started brewing between the mafia/war criminals and the Djindic government.

That war just cost Djindic his life, and Djindic's successor, whoever he or she is, gets to make the choice between allowing the mafia to continue it's parasitic relationship with the Serbian host while losing Serbia's foreign aid and trade, or rooting out the rot and completing the post-Milosevic transition into a nation of laws rather than of men.

But, whatever - the emerging facts relating to Djindic's assassination are obviously far less attractive than your little conspiracy theory, so have fun, and don't mind me or anything that would get in the way of your little proprietary worldview.

[Southack]

Nice spiel, but not believable. Mafioso types simply don't make hits that would bring down the might of the army, especially when crooked politicians can simply be bought. Moreover, these arrests that you keep mentioning have been going on since Milosovich's arrest almost 4 years ago, with each passing year seeing *less* senior people arrested, thus providing even *less* motivation for such a hit, so your theories still make no compelling argument.

Furthermore, your theories continue to ignore the *timing*, in that this hit happened in the run-up to the Iraq War, just as politics for France and Germany became the most vulnerable.

...And it is France and Germany that are keen to keep their "don't-go-to-war-without-the-UN" double-standard quiet, something that they have so far been successful at.

[Hoplite]

Mafioso types simply don't make hits that would bring down the might of the army, especially when crooked politicians can simply be bought.

After Milosevic they didn't work through bought politicians, but through bought judges, prosecutors and by being members of the police forces themselves. Their judges and prosecutors were being replaced when Djindic was assassinated.

You really haven't been paying attention to recent events in Serbia, have you? A hit was mounted on Djindic on February 22nd, but failed - and the perp was released before he could be charged by some of said bought persons. So in regards to your comment on timing, correlation is not causation - try to make a note of it.

As to the Army coming down upon them, the police forces under Milosevic were better paid, trained, and equipped than their military bretheren - and can count upon support of various individuals still holding active duty positions in the military, which is how Mladic and the Vukovar three have avoided extradition for so long.

[Southack]

More nonsense from you, I see.

Spout your propaganda all that you want, but it won't change the fact that Zolan was hit due to the issue of being silent about France and Germany's double-standard regarding going to war without the UN's approval.

[Hoplite]

Yeah, but it's nonsense that can be verified and checked though multiple sources - unlike your proprietary little version of reality.

Ergo our disagreement.

[Southack]

Keep dreaming propaganda boy. Zolan wasn't hit until after he started calling for Serb troops to re-enter Kosovo, something that the Red Beret's would hardly be assasinating him for.

And you can look that up, too...

[Hoplite]

So let me get this straight - on one hand Zoran was killed by whoever because he wasn't raising a stink about Germany and France's position on the war in Iraq vs. Allied Force, but on the other hand Zoran was raising a stink about the return of Serbian forces to Kosovo at the time he was killed, which was in the interests of whoever supposedly killed him per your theory or whatever it is, no?

The actions of these hypothetical assassins of yours make about as much sense as a soup sandwich.

As far as historical precedents for criminals assassinating government officials to avoid extradition, I suggest you scrupulously avoid reading anything about Pablo Escobar - ignorance is not only bliss in your case, it's the only thing that makes your case possible.

Live it up while you can, Southack.

[Southack]

Drug gangs don't assassinate corrupt politicos who can be bought, especially when said politicos can bring down the might of the army against said drug gangs, and certainly *not* arrange for the timing of the hit to be just as the global political stakes are reaching their climax vis a vis Iraq.

Thus, the repeated claim that you keep making is pure nonsense, suitable for belief by only those few souls who care to fill their empty heads with *any* excuse rather than hear the painful truth.

And the truth is that Zolan was killed due to his role in regard to keeping silent (or not) about his Germanic and Franco masters' double-standard about going to war without UN approval, as France and Germany did to Serbia only 4 short years ago, compared to how they demanded that the U.S. *not* do the same thing in Iraq today.

This limits the *motivated* groups of assassins to:

1. France / Germany (if they thought that Zolan was going to cease being quiet about said double standard)

2. Britain / Germany / France (if Blair's/Scroeder's/Chirac's pro-Serbian-War buddies got frightened about the truth finally coming out or that the Serbs might attempt to stir up military trouble during the Iraq war) or my odds-on bet:

3. Milosovich's nationalistic buddies (who knew that they had to act rather quickly to end the Serbian silence on the world stage regarding France and Germany's double-standard).

But you being you, I fully expect you to post yet more ridiculous spiels about how some non-political group made the professional hit on the now-deceased Serb politician.

And who knows, a few naive souls might even fall for your rubbish.

[Dragonfly]

Today's updates from B92:

Manhunt continues with fortress demolished | 11:31 | B92

BELGRADE -- Monday – Police yesterday used explosives to complete the demolition of the Zemun Gang fortress in a Belgrade suburb.

The gang, one of the wealthiest in Europe, is believed to have been behind the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.

Eyewitnesses report that the building, on which police began demolition work last week, finally came down accompanied by loud explosions at about 5.00 p.m. yesterday.

Gang member surrenders

One member of the gang surrendered voluntarily to the police yesterday.

According to a government statement the man, whose name has not been released, gave a statement to the special prosecutor claiming that gang leaders Dusan Spasojevic and Milorad Lukovic had ordered him executed to prevent him from giving evidence.

The man, who was not directly involved in the murder of the Serbian prime minister, told police that the gang’s leaders intended to kill all potential witness[es] who knew details of their criminal activities.

Police raids across the country have continued to result in arrests and large hauls of drugs and arms.

The mother of a prominent gang member was arrested yesterday after 15.9 kilograms of heroin were found in a weekender owned by her.

Police also claimed she had been renting apartments and houses on behalf of the drug cartel.

Buha sought as accessory

Police have appealed for information about businesswoman Ljiljana Buha who, they say, is one of the most active associates of gang leaders Spasojevic and Lukovic.

According to a government statement, Buha assisted in hiding the Djindjic assassins by supplying them with food and drinks at secret locations and renting apartments for them.

She is reported to wear a beret, wig and large sunglasses in public. Buha’s husband Ljubisa, who is living abroad, claimed in a recent statement that his wife was being held in a private prison by Dusan Spasojevic.

Court hearings to begin next week

Meanwhile, Deputy Serbian Prime Minister Cedomir Jovanovic has said that the courts will begin proceedings next week to deal with those arrested in the police dragnet.

More than a thousand people have been remanded in custody since the murder of the prime minister, necessitating the use of military prisons in Nis and Belgrade.

Jovanovic told media that the military court has also offered its services to the Serbian special prosecutor to assist in processing the suspects.

He added that Spasojevic and Lukovic are believed to be in hiding in Belgrade and to be planning more murders.

[Hoplite]

Uncle Sam had more money than the Zemun gang, and made the extradition of it's leading member one of the conditions of getting that money.

Keep posting - it's so rare that I get someone to pull out the reductio ad absurdum and eviscerate their own argument with such gusto.

And since I'm in a generous mood, how's about adding Albanian drug gangs to your list, as now that Milosevic's trash is being locked up, the smack market is ripe for a take over.

Of course, I could just be giving you that to keep you away from the Stone Cutters Guild's trail...

[Southack]

You're too transparent. It's easy to see that you want people to consider *any* culprit and motive other than France/Germany or Serb nationalists taking out Zolan for either being about to break his silence regarding their go-to-war-without-the-UN double standard, or for being quiet about it for too long.

[Hoplite]

Were your alternave still viable, it would still be in play.

It is, however, past it's freshness date given recent events.

Sorry, you lose.

[Southack]

What are you smoking?! Not still in play?!

Oh please...