The Greek government yield to pressure of the Hague Tribunal and of world community. In Athens, after Carla del Ponte’s demand, a decision was taken to partially stop implementation of the law about bank secret. Yesterday, information about bank accounts which supposedly connected with Slobodan Milosevic should be handed over to headquarters of the Hague Tribunal. While now journalists have no idea about what the cardboard boxes contain. According to some data, there are 4 million dollars on Milosevic’s accounts, BBC reports. To Vima Greek newspaper states, that already last November, Greek authorities intended to present to the Hague information about more than 10 people’s accounts, connected with Milosevic. Though first of all, the fact of embezzlement from Yugoslav budget should be proved, while that is the question… Remember, that the trial on Slobodan Milosevic must start on February 12. Ex-US President Bill Clinton, British Prime-Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and other Western politicians will probably called for giving evidence. For the first four weeks of the trial on Milosevic, judges are reported to be in session daily. Apropos, the trial will start even before the prosecution presents all necessary materials. For the time being, the tribunal’s chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte has not prepared yet materials concerning events in Bosnia and Croatia. Though, what for? As a Serb columnist noticed, “during the previous trials, the judges were not concerned with whether their decisions were convincing or not. There is even impression that the sentences were passed much earlier than defendants entered the court.” The same could be said about Milosevic. And one more thing. Last Saturday, information agencies spread in interview of Milosevic as if given by him to ITAR-TASS agency. On the same day, some of Milosevic’s statements were published by PRAVDA.Ru referring to Belgrade radio station B-92, in particular, that the ex-Yugoslav President “was betrayed by Russia” (Moscow betrayed itself in the very moment when it betrayed me and the whole Serb nation”). So, Serb Socialist Party characterized this “interview” as “fiction and provocation.” While the story of this interview is simply laughable. It turned out that in the end of January, spokesman for Ibrahim Rugova in Italy proposed to ITAR-TASS correspondent to organize an interview with Milosevic. The same proposition was made to several Italian editions. The “middleman” took the questions “prepared in written form” and afterwards brought “answers.” Later, trying to justify itself, ITAR-TASS said these people had started to contact the agency about a year ago and they had many times supplied information over Kosovo, which was proved…”
Sergei Yugov PRAVDA.Ru Translated by Vera Solovieva
Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/02/07/36761.html
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