Servicemen reject General Mladic

The campaign for delivery of Serbian ex-leaders is gaining force.

This is an estimation of Belgrade’s last initiative regarding General Ratko Mladic. Yugoslavian President Voislav Kostunica ordered the head of the Yugoslav general staff Neboisha Pavkovic not to welcome ex-leader of the Bosnian Serbs’ army Mladic.

General Mladic has been in Serbia, hiding on the territory of Yugoslavia’s military objects within the last weeks. Almost all officials, even the president, have given up their support of General Mladic.

On Kostunica’s instructions, two passes of the general for entry to the army military units became invalid. Mladic will not be able to enter the military bases of the Yugoslavia’s army. He is not even allowed to enter his recent shelter now. A special control has been introduced over all military installations. If the presence of General Mladic is proved, the Ministry for Internal Affairs of Yugoslavia and the local police departments in Belgrade and other settlements (where the general is more likely to appear) are to be responsible for his arrest. If necessary, officers from Serbia’s criminal police will assist in arresting the general.

Similar actions will be applied to the people accused by the Hague tribunal. Now, the presidium of the Serbian ruling coalition, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), hesitates as to whether the captured Bosnian Serbs are to be delivered to Serbia’s police or directly to the tribunal. It was Serbia’s government that initiated the delivery of the people accused by the tribunal and who remained on Serbian territory to the tribunal. The appeal was sent to Yugoslavia’s Ministry of Justice.

Nedeljni Telegraf, a Yugoslavian weekly, reports: “Those who know the general and say they have seen him several months ago are sure that he will not surrender of his free will. He has very strong and devoted security; some people even mention night vision equipment. The general considers himself to be a safe from any arrest attempts.” The general is said to have prepared several shelters.

All attempts to arrest General Ratko Mladic and ex-President of the Serbian republic Radovan Karadzic and hand them over to the Hague tribunal are in vain. First of all, despite recent events, the two are still very popular in Yugoslavia (not to mention the Serbian republic). Moreover, the security has been instructed to liquidate Mladic and Karadzic to avoid a delivery of the Serbian leaders alive.

Sergey Stefanov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

In the photo by Nedeljni Telegraf: General Ratko Mladic

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/02/26/37531.html