YUGOSLAVIA/ BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: BOSNIAN SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC RESIGNS FROM ALL PUBLIC OFFICES
Record ID:
647433
YUGOSLAVIA/ BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: BOSNIAN SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC RESIGNS FROM ALL PUBLIC OFFICES
- Title: YUGOSLAVIA/ BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: BOSNIAN SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC RESIGNS FROM ALL PUBLIC OFFICES
- Date: 18th July 1996
- Summary: BELGRADE, SERBIA, YUGOSLAVIA/ PALE, SARAJEVO AND TREBINJE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA/ FILE (JULY 19, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) BELGRADE, SERBIA, YUGOSLAVIA (JULY 19, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV U.S. ENVOY RICHARD HOLBROOKE WALKING FROM LIFT, MEDIA (2 SHOTS) 0.14 2. SV HOLBROOKE SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 1.26 ON RADIO OR ANY PUBLIC PLACE (ENGLISH) 3. CU DOCUMENT SIGNED BY KARADZIC, KRAJISNIK, PLAVSIC, BUHA AND WITNESSES MILOSEVIC AND MILUTINOVIC 1.32 FILE (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 4. SV KARADZIC WITH HIS ARMY COMMANDER GENERAL RATKO MLADIC ARRIVING AT MILITARY POSITION TO BE GREETED BY A BOSNIAN SERB ARMY OFFICER 1.45 PALE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 12, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 5. SV BOSNIAN SERB VICE PRESIDENT BILJANA PLAVSIC LEAVING A CHURCH SERVICE 1.53 6. SCU PLAVSIC SPEAKING AFTER CHURCH SERVICE (SERBO-CROAT) 2.11 TREBINJE, BOSNIA (JULY 13, 1996) (RTV(W) - ACCESS ALL) 7. SV SUPPORTERS OF BOSNIAN SERB SDS PARTY IN STADIUM 2.17 8. LV BANNERS SHOWING PHOTOGRAPHS OF BOSNIAN SERB LEADER RADOVAN KARADZIC; VIEW OF CROWD 2.20 9. SCU BOSNIAN SERB "FOREIGN MINISTER" ALEXA BUHA CALLS FOR UNITY IN FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS (SERBO-CROAT) 2.29 PALE (JULY 18, 1996 NIGHT)(RTV ACCESS ALL) NIGHT-SHOTS 10. LV HELICOPTER WITH MILOSEVIC'S SPECIAL ENVOY JOVICA STANISIC LANDING 2.37 11. LV STANISIC GETTING OFF (2 SHOTS) 2.52 SARAJEVO (JULY 19, 1996)(RTV - ACCESS ALL) 12. SV ALEXANDER IVANKO, U.N. SPOKESMAN, SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 3.05 SARAJEVO (JULY 19, 1996)(RTV - ACCESS ALL) 13. GV BUILDINGS IN SARAJEVO 3.11 14. SV UNNAMED WOMAN IN THE STREET SAYING I THINK THAT NOTHING BETTER CAN HAPPEN NOW (ENGLISH) 3.17 15. GV STREET IN SARAJEVO 3.24 SEQUENCE 2 TRANSCRIPT: HOLBROOKE: "FROM NOW RADOVAN KARADZIC HAS CEASED TO BE PRESIDENT OF REPUBLIKA SRPSKA. HE HAS RELINQUISHED THE OFFICE AND ALL POWERS ASSOCIATED THERETO. THAT POST IS NOW TAKEN TEMPORARILY BY ACTING PRESIDENT BILJANA PLAVSIC AND SHE WILL REMAIN IN THAT POSITION UNTIL THE ELECTIONS PICK A NEW PRESIDENT. NUMBER TWO, DR KARADZIC STATES THAT HE SHALL WITHDRAW IMMEDIATELY AND PERMANENTLY FROM ALL POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. HE WILL NOT APPEAR IN PUBLIC, OR ON RADIO, OR TELEVISION OR THE OTHER MEDIA OR MEANS OF COMMUNICATION OR PARTICIPATE IN ANY WAY IN THE ELECTIONS. AND I WANT TO STRESS HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS SIGNING, HE KNEW HE WAS SIGNING THE END OF HIS POLIITICAL CAREER. NUMBER THREE, AS OF TODAY, JULY 19TH, DR RADOVAN KARADZIC RELINQUISHED THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE SDS AND ALL THE FUNCTIONS, POWERS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE SDS SHALL BE FROZEN UNTIL THE SDS CHOSES A NEW PRESIDENT. THESE POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES SHALL BE TAKEN OVER BY PROFESSOR BUHA." SEQUENCE 12 TRANSCRIPT: IVANKO: "WE WELCOME THIS NEWS BUT WE STILL BELIEVE THIS IS ONLY ANOTHER STEP ON THE ROAD TO THE HAGUE. ALTHOUGH THE POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS OF RADOVAN KARADZIC - IT SEEMS - HAVE BEEN STOPPED, JUSTICE STILL HAS TO BE SERVED." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 2nd August 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BELGRADE, SERBIA, YUGOSLAVIA/ PALE, SARAJEVO AND TREBINJE, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA/ FILE
- City:
- Country: Yugoslavia
- Reuters ID: LVADFF6GFKWFM5P3LZFDKHTDP04G
- Story Text: INTRO: Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, an indicted war criminal, has resigned from all public offices from Friday (July 19) to clear the way for post-war elections in Bosnia.
United States (U.S.) envoy Richard Holbrooke broke the news of Karadzic's departure from public office after ten hours of talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Holbrooke, architect of the 1995 Dayton peace treaty on Bosnia, was recalled to government service to rescue stumbling Western efforts to remove the defiant Karadzic. Bosnian Moslems had threatened to boycott the September vote if he did not go.
Speaking from Belgrade, Holbrooke said Karadzic and several top loyalists had signed an agreement witnessed by Milosevic under which he would quit all positions of influence in Bosnian Serb politics.
"As of today..., Dr Karadzic has relinquished the office of president of the (separatist Bosnian) Serb Republic and all powers associated therewith, and Dr Karadzic states he shall withdraw immediately and permanently from all political activity," Holbrooke said, reading the agreement.
Karadzic resigned with immediate effect as president of the Bosnian Serb Republic and head of the ruling Serb Democratic Party (SDS), led by hardliners trying to undermine the peace process.
The deal was only a partial triumph for Holbrooke who failed to get agreement on the arrest of Karadzic and his army commander General Ratko Mladic and their extradition to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Karadzic was replaced at the head of the SDS by Foreign Minister Aleksa Buha. Acting President Biljana Plavsic to whom Karadzic earlier ceded "executive powers" to try to stave off his complete political eclipse retained that post.
News of the resignation was welcomed by Internatonal Police Task Force spokesman Alexander Ivanko, who said the removal of Kradzic should help the peace process.
In the streets of Sarajevo, people greeted the news with joy, one saying it was the "best thing that could happen." But in the Bosnian-Serb strongold of Pale news that their political leader had resigned was greeted with anger, while some said they felt betrayed by their Serbian allies in Belgrade.
The United States and its European allies demanded the hardline nationalist step down as required by the Dayton peace accord and regarded his presence as a threat to post-war elections in Bosnia scheduled for September 14.
Bosnian Moslems threatened a boycott of the September polls if Karadzic remained on the political stage.
Holbrooke, never at ease in the public and before cameras, is due to return to the United States where he works with top investment bank in New York.
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