YUGOSLAVIA: GIRLFRIEND OF DETAINED CANADIAN MAN SAYS SHE BELEIVES HER BOYFRIEND'S PURPOSE IN MONTENEGRO WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT.

Record ID: 649199

  • Title: YUGOSLAVIA: GIRLFRIEND OF DETAINED CANADIAN MAN SAYS SHE BELEIVES HER BOYFRIEND'S PURPOSE IN MONTENEGRO WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT.
  • Date: 8th August 2000
  • Summary: PRISTINA, KOSOVO (AUGUST 7, 2000) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. MV/CU: VARIOUS OF ALESSANDRA CARATOZZOLO (29), GIRLFRIEND OF THE ARRESTED SHAUN GOING, SITTING BEHIND A COMPUTER (5 SHOTS) 0.26 2. CU: SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) ALESSANDRA CARATOZZOLO: "Shaun Going is my boyfriend and through him I got to know Liam Hall, his nephew. Adrian Prangnell is one of my best friends in Kosovo, John as well. We're a group of close friends that always stick together. Because in Kosovo life is not always easy, we use the weekends to get together with a lot of friends. To all of us, it's absolutely ridiculous that they've been charged with espionage." 1.06 3. GV: REPORTER ASKING QUESTIONS 1.11 4. CU: SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) ALESSANDRA: "This kind of equipment is part of Shaun Going's daily job. That's why it's normal to have it on the back of the car. Many times we went through the KFOR check points and had a routine control. No-one has ever told him that he is wrong, or that he's not supposed to do so. It's his job, everybody can confirm this. The 'Meridian resources' is involved in blasting, mines and the work in quarry so there's nothing strange about that." 1.48 5. MV: REPORTER ASKING ALESSANDRA A QUESTION 1.53 6. CU: SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) ALESSANDRA: "Of course, that I will suggest to everybody to be careful and to pay more attention to what they carry with them. Maybe something that looks normal for us, for the authorities in Belgrade isn't." 2.12 7. GV/CU: EXTERIORS OF THE 'MERIDIAN RESOURCES' OFFICE IN PRISTINA/ SIGN (2 SHOTS) 2.21 8. GV/CU: INTERIORS OF THE OFFICE/ SHELVES (3 SHOTS) 2.35 (FILE) 9. GV/CU: VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF THE MEN ON ASSIGNMENTS (4 SHOTS) 3.02 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 23rd August 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PRISTINA, KOSOVO, YUGOSLAVIA
  • City:
  • Country: Yugoslavia
  • Reuters ID: LVA4LLDXA9QJ1MK9SMG660L0NVXE
  • Story Text: The girlfriend of one of the Canadian men being held by
    the Yugoslav army has said she believes her boyfriend's
    purpose in Montenegro was completely innocent.



    Speaking to Reuters in Pristina on Monday (August 7),
    Alessandra Caratozzolo, 29, girlfriend of detained Canadian
    Shaun Going, said the two Canadians and two Britons being held
    by the Serbs were all good friends in Kosovo.

    "Shaun Going is my boyfriend and through him I got to know
    Liam Hall, his nephew," said Caratozzolo.

    "(Briton) Adrian Prangnell is one of my best friends in
    Kosovo. We are a group of close friends who always stick
    together....To all of us, it's absolutely ridiculous that
    they've been charged with espionage."
    Caratozzolo also said that the equipment the men were
    carrying -- which the Serbs say they view with suspicion --
    was used in Going's daily job. "For him, it's normal to have
    that type of equipment in his car. Many times we went together
    through KFOR checkpoints and they checked the car as part of a
    routine patrol and no-one has ever told us that we shouldn't
    carry this, or that it was wrong."
    She said that Going's company, Meridian Resources, was
    involved in blasting at a quarry, so there was nothing strange
    about them carrying explosives.

    The Yugoslav army said on Monday it would press terrorism
    charges against the Britons and two Canadians detained with
    them in Montenegro last week.

    Britain has said its nationals, Adrian Prangnell and John
    Yore, are policemen helping to train a new police force in
    Kosovo. They were travelling with Canadian Shaun Going, who
    also worked in Kosovo, and his nephew Liam Hall.

    Like many Westerners visiting Montenegro, the pro-Western
    coastal republic that with Serbia makes up the Federal
    Republic of Yugoslavia, the Canadians and Britons did not have
    Yugoslav visas.

    (bg/lh)

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