YUGOSLAVIA: SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC SUPPORTERS REACT TO NEWS OF FORMER PRESIDENT'S ARREST

Record ID: 646549

  • Title: YUGOSLAVIA: SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC SUPPORTERS REACT TO NEWS OF FORMER PRESIDENT'S ARREST
  • Date: 2nd April 2001
  • Summary: (U5) BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA (APRIL 2, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WS: NEWS CONFERENCE GIVEN AT YUGOSLAV (UNITED) LEFT (JUL) PARTY OF MIRAJANA MARKOVIC, SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC'S WIFE 0.04 2. VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS 0.09 3. SV: SOUNDBITE(Serbian) JUL PARTY SPOKESWOMAN DRAGANA KUZMANOVIC SAYING: "Love and freedom live in Serbia no more. Fear and hatred have occupied its core. The arrest of Milosevic is the arrest of us all as it spells the arrest of our ancestors' souls. Millions of them have died for this country to be freed. Arrested have been the souls of generations to succeed." 0.36 4. VARIOUS OF SERBIAN RENEWAL PARTY LEADER VUK DRASKOVIC, ONE OF THE FIRST FIGURES TO LEAD THE STRUGGLE AGAINST MILOSEVIC 0.45 5. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) DRASKOVIC SAYING: "That is our obligation. International obligation. No discussions about that. At the moment The Hague demands him, we must deliver him without any discussions and manipulations." 1.03 6. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF SERBIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY, NAMEPLATE (2 SHOTS) 1.12 7. SV: SOUNDBITE(Serbian) GENERAL SRETEN LUKIC, HEAD OF PUBLIC SECURITY DEPARTMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR, SAYING: "Criminal charges also include Slobodan Milosevic because there is a founded doubt he premeditatedly encouraged mentioned persons by organising a group of SPS (Socialist Party of Serbia, which Milosevic leads) and (Yugoslav) United Left (JUL) members to stop the police conducting their official duty." 1.34 8. SV'S: MEDIA (2 SHOTS) 1.42 9. SCU: (SOUNDBITE)(Serbian) LUKIC SAYING: "As for the shots that were fired, a paraffin test on both hands shows that Milosevic's daughter, Maria fired the gun." 2.03 10. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 2.06 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 17th April 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA
  • City:
  • Country: Yugoslavia
  • Reuters ID: LVA1VJYT7YZPUOLJUZVNCLV9OSWJ
  • Story Text: Following the arrest of former Yugoslav President
    Slobodan Milosevic, a spokeswoman for the party led by
    Milosevic's wife, Mirajana Markovic, has complained that the
    new government was creating a state of fear.

    Vuk Draskovic, one of the first figures to publicly oppose
    Slobodan Milosevic, has called for the former Yugoslav
    President to be extradited to The Hague to face war crimes
    charges.

    Police have said they are investigating Milosevic for
    allegedly supporting persons in a crime during events leading
    to his arrest.


    At a news conference given by Mirjana Markovic's
    Yugoslav (United) Left (JUL) party in Belgrade on Monday
    (April 2) a party spokeswoman Gragana Kuzmanovic said Serbia
    was no longer a place of freedom, following Milosevic's
    arrest.

    She said, "Love and freedom live in Serbia no more. Fear
    and hatred have occupied its core. The arrest of Milosevic is
    the arrest of us all as it spells the arrest of our ancestors'
    souls. Millions of them have died for this country to be
    freed. Arrested have been the souls of generations to
    succeed."
    Serbian Renewal Party leader Vuk Draskovic said Milosevic
    should face trial before the international war crimes tribunal
    in The Hague.

    He said, "That is our obligation. International obligation.

    No discussions about that. At the moment The Hague
    demands him, we must deliver him without any discussions
    and manipulations."
    General Sreten Lukic, Head of the public security
    department of the Ministry of Interior said Milosevic would be
    charged with organising resistance to police trying to carry
    out their duties.

    Lukic said, "Criminal charges also include Slobodan
    Milosevic because there is a founded doubt he premeditatedly
    encouraged mentioned persons by organising a group of SPS
    (Socialist Party of Serbia, which Milosevic leads) and
    (Yugoslav) United Left (JUL) members to stop the police
    conducting their official duty."
    Marija Milosevic, the thirty-six year-old daughter of
    Slobodan, was also facing charges after a paraffin test
    confirmed she had fired a gun -- five rounds, according to
    witnesses -- at a car in the convoy which whisked away her
    father before dawn on Sunday.

    Lukic said tests confirmed that Marija Milosevic had
    fired shots after her father was arrested.

    "As for the shots that were fired, a paraffin test on both
    hands shows that Milosevic's daughter, Maria fired the
    gun", Lukic said.

    Police said she had a 9 mm Walther, a 9 mm Beretta and
    something quaintly described as a "lady's pistol".
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register