YUGOSLAVIA: 5000 SUPPORTERS OF FORMER YUGOSLAV LEADER SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC RALLY IN CENTRAL BELGRADE AGIANST HIS POSSIBLE EXTRADITION

Record ID: 648776

  • Title: YUGOSLAVIA: 5000 SUPPORTERS OF FORMER YUGOSLAV LEADER SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC RALLY IN CENTRAL BELGRADE AGIANST HIS POSSIBLE EXTRADITION
  • Date: 26th June 2001
  • Summary: (W7) BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA (JUNE 26, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV: NEWS CONFERENCE HELD BY ZORAN DJINDJIC, SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER 0.07 2. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Serbian) ZORAN DJINDJIC, SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER SAYING: "It is not our intention to race with time. We have lost a lot of time since March when we have started the procedure for the adoption of the law and I think that it wouldn't be serious if we tried to end this thing by the donors conference. "Our goal is to preserve, in the eyes of the international political public, the reputation of a serious government which stands behind its obligations, which doesn't hide behind various procedures." 0.40 3. WS: NEWS CONFERENCE/ CU DJINDIC (2 SHOTS) 0.49 4. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Serbian) ZORAN DJINDJIC, SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER SAYING: "It is in the time frame of about ten days. I dont know, but someone told me that the lawyers of Mr. Milosevic have been called for the investigation for today. Maybe they didn't show up, perhaps they will be there tomorrow, but in any case we are talking about a time frame which is not very long." 1.08 5. WS: RALLY IN CENTRAL BELGRADE ORGANISED BY SUPPORTERS OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC 1.15 6. CU: MILOSEVIC'S PHOTOGRAPH ON POSTER HELD UP BY WOMAN 1.23 7. VARIOUS: PEOPLE CHEERING IN SERBIAN "WE WILL NOT SEND ANYONE TO THE HAGUE" / BANNERS BEING WAVED (2 SHOTS) 1.34 8. MV: BANNER READING IN SERBIAN "DOS (THE AUTHORITIES) IS THE WORST" 1.41 9. LV: PEOPLE CHEERING/ CU WOMEAN HOLDING UP MILOSEVIC POSTER (2 SHOTS) 1.48 10. SV: A YOUNG WOMAN HOLDING MILOSEVIC POSTER 1.56 11. MV: BANNERS AND FLAGS 2.00 12. SV/SCU: SOUNDBITE (Serbian) BRANISLAV IVKOVIC, DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF SERBIA SPEAKING SAYING: "We gathered here to defend the hounour and dignity of the Serbia people, citizens of Serbia and our country Serbia and Yugoslavia. The moment the first citizen of Serbia is put on trial in the Hague, the whole of Serbia will stand accused." /SUPPORTERS CHEERING (3 SHOTS) 2.26 13. CLOSE UP ON AN OLD MAN HOLDING A BANNER READING IN SERBIAN "IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR COMMOM SENSE" 2.31 14. VARIOUS OF AN INCIDENT BETWEEN A GROUP OF YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG GIRL, ONE OF THEM HITTING REPEATEDLY THE GIRL (2 SHOTS) 2.46 15. PAN DOWN: RALLY 2.55 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 11th July 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA
  • City:
  • Country: Yugoslavia
  • Reuters ID: LVAZ3S13F7QDZQ31Z7E04U3MLMT
  • Story Text: Slobodan Milosevics handover to the U.N. war crimes
    court seemed to loom closer on Tuesday with Serbia's Premier
    predicting it would come very soon, while some five thousand
    people rallied in central Belgrade against the extradiction.


    Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic suggested on
    Tuesday (June 26) that Milosevic under a Yugoslav government
    decree could be transferred to the Dutch-based tribunal as
    early as Friday, the same day as a donors conference for
    Yugoslavia is due to be held in Brussels.

    "I do not know if the shortest possible deadline will
    happen, but (it will happen) in a very short foreseeable
    period, whether three or ten days makes no essential
    difference," Djindjic told reporters.

    Speaking at a news conference, Djindjic was asked whether
    Milosevic could be handed over to the U.N. tribunal by Friday,
    the day Belgrade hopes to raise nearly 1.3 billion U.S.

    dollars from donors meeting in the Belgian capital.

    "It is not our intention to race with time. We have lost a
    lot of time since March when we have started the procedure for
    the adoption of the law and I think that it wouldn't be
    serious if we tried to end this thing by the donors
    conference. Our goal is to preserve, in the eyes of the
    international political public, the reputation of a serious
    government which stands behind its obligations, which doesn't
    hide behind various procedures."
    Serbia is the dominant republic in the Yugoslav
    federation, which also consists of tiny Montenegro.

    Yugoslavia's new reformist authorities, under pressure to
    step up cooperation with the war crimes court ahead of the
    donors meeting, on Monday took the first legal step required
    for the removal of Milosevic to the tribunal in The Hague.

    Later on Tuesday, around 5,000 diehard supporters of
    ousted Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic rallied in downtown
    Belgrade to protest against moves to hand him over to the U.N.

    war crimes court in The Hague.

    The relatively low turnout seemed to reflect Milosevic's
    dwindling popular support since he was ousted as Yugoslav
    president last October and since his arrest in April for
    alleged abuse of power.

    Protesters waved banners with slogans reading "Serbia
    won't give you away Slobodan" and "Selling out the Serbs",
    referring to accusations that Yugoslavias new reformist rulers
    have decided to hand him over in exchange for crucial economic
    aid.

    Some Milosevic supporters wept openly at the rally,
    organised by Milosevic's once-ruling Socialist Party (SPS).

    Others demanded the resignation of Yugoslav President
    Vojislav Kostunica, who defeated Milosevic in elections last
    year.

    Protest leaders denounced the ruling reform alliance which
    has begun the legal procedure to transfer Milosevic.

    "Once a Serb is put on trial, the whole of Serbia will
    stand accused. The decision is unconstitutional and it is a
    disgrace to all of Serbia," SPS official Branislav Ivkovic
    told the crowd.

    Half of all Yugoslavs now say they are in favour of
    Milosevic's handover to The Hague, according to an opinion
    poll conducted this month and published on Monday.
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