Pol Science

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC IN POWER 1997-2000 YUGOSLAVIA

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC WAS BORN IN 1941 IN POZERIVAC, THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA. HE WAS THE SECOND SON OF A FORMER ORTHODOX PRIEST FROM MONTENEGRO AND A SERBIAN COMMUNIST SCHOOLMISTRESS. BOTH OF HIS PARENTS COMMITED SUICIDE , FATHER IN 1962 AND MOTHER IN 1973. HE GRADUATED FROM THE FACULTY OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE IN 1964.WHILE ATTENDING HIS HIGH SCHOOL IN POZERIVAC HE MEET HIS FUTURE WIFE , MIRJANA MARKOVIC. A DOCTRINAIRE MARXIST WHO IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE ‘RED WITCH’ AND THE ‘LADY MACBETH OF THE BALKANS’.AND IS A FULL PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE .THE COUPLE GOT MARRIED IN 1965. SLOBODAN STARTED HIS BUSINESS CAREER AS AN ECONOMIC ADVISOR TO THE MAYOR OF THE BELGRADE. FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS HE HAS BEEN THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE WELL KNOWN YUGOSLAVIC ENTERPRISE ‘TEHNOGAS’ AND AFTER THAT HE BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF ‘BEOGRADSKA BANK’, THE LARGEST BANK IN SERBIA AND YUGOSLAVIA. HE ENTERED POLITICS BY BECOMING THE LEADER OF THE LOCAL BELGRADE COMMUNIST PARTY. HIS DIRECT STYLE AND ADVOCACY OF SERBIAN NATIONALISM APPEALED TO THE SEBIAN PUBLIC. HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF SERBIA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1989.IN MULTIPARTY ELECTIONS HELD IN DECEMBER NONCOMMUNIST GROUPS WIN GOVERNMENT IN BOTH CROATIA AND SLOVENIA WHILE MILOSEVIC IS RETURNED TO THE OFFICE IN SERBIA WITH HUGE

MAJORITY. THEN HE WAS REELECTED AS SERBIAN PRESIDENT IN 1992. IN 1997 , CONSTITUTIONALLY BARRED FROM A THIRD TERM AS SERBIA’s PRESIDENT.MILOSEVIC BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA (SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO) IN JULY SERVING UNTIL 2000.AS PRESIDENT HE AUTOMATICALLY BECAME THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL ARMED FORCES. IN 1998, ETHNIC ALBANIANS LIVING IN THE SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO RECOMMENCE THEIR CAMPAIGN FOR INDEPENDENCE. THE SITUATION GOT OUT OF HAND AND SOON BECAME A CONFLICT BETWEEN FEDERAL ARMED FORCES (SERBIAN ARMY) AND GUERRILLA KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY (KLA). IN SEPTEMBER THE UN SECURITY COUNSIL ADOPTED A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE IN KOSOVO. WHEN THE NATO AUTHORITIES AIR STRIKED THE SERBIAN ARMY MILOSEVIC BACKED UP AND REMOVED SOME OF THE SERBIAN ARMY FROM KOSOVO. IN 1999 HE REFUSED TO GIVE AUTONOMY TO KOSOVO AND LAUNCHED A MAJOR OFFENCE AGAINST KLA. ON 24 MARCH NATO STARTED A PROLONGE SERIES OF AIR STIKES AGAINST SERBIA.MILOSEVIC COUNTERSTRIKED BY RUNNING A PROGRAM OF ETHENIC CLEANSING OF KOSOVO-ALBANIANS AND AS A RESULT HUNDEREDS OF THOUSANDS KOSOVO-ALBANIANS WERE FORCED TO BECOME REFUGEES IM MAY OF 1999 THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA AT THE HAGUE INDICED

MILOSEVIC WITH WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY COMMITED IN KOSOVO. THE NATO CONTINUED BOMBARDING FOR THE NEXT 78 DAYS UNTIL MILOSEVIC CAPITULATED IN EARLY JUNE.SERBIAN FORCES WERE WITHDRAWN AND UN PEACEMAKERS WERE SENT IN .BUT UNTIL THAT TIME UPTO 10,OOO HAVE DIED , THOUSANDS ARE MISSING AND 740,000ETHINIC ALBANIANS WERE EXILED. IN JULY OF 1999 IT WAS REPORTED THAT PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON HAS AUTHORISED CIA TO COVERT AND OVERT MEASURE AND BRING DOWN MILOSEVIC. ACCORDING TO THE TIME MAGAZINE THESE MEASURES COULD INCLUDE DISRUPTION OF MILOSEVIC PRIVATE FINANCIAL TRANSACTION AND UPBRINGING OF PUBLICS SENTIMENTS AGAINST HIM WITH IN YUGOLSAVIA. THE OPPOSITION PARTIES WITHIN SERBIA RECEIVED SUBSTANCIAL FUNDING FROM THE US AND US $5 MILLION WAS OFFERED AS REWARD FOR ANY KIND OF INFORMATION LEADING TO THE CONVICT OR ARREST OF MILOSEVIC. MEANWHILE A CIA PSYCHIATRIC PROFILE OF MILOSEVIC CONCLUDED THAT HE HAS “A MALIGNANT NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY, STRONGLY SELFCENTRED, VAIN AND FULL OF SELF LOVE.” IN THE ELECTIONS OF YEAR 2000 HELD ON 24 SEPTEMBER, MILOSEVIC WAS DEFEATED BY THE DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION OF THE SERBIA WHICH WAS A COALITION OF 18 PARTIES LED BY VOJISLAV KOSTONICA,BUT MELOSEVIC REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE RESULTS AND CALED A RUN-OFF ELECTIONS. THE OPPOSITION TURNED TO THE PUBLIC ASKING THEM TO FORCE MILOSEVIC TO ACCEPT THE

RESULTS, WHICH RESULTED IN A MASS DEMONSTRATION LED BY THE STUDENT ORGANISATION OTPOR AND A GENERAL STRIKE LED BY COAL MINERS. FACING SUCH SITUATIONS AND WITH RUSSIA BACKING KOSTONICA, MILOSEVIC AGREES TO STEP DOWN.AND KOSTUNICA BECOMES THE NEW PRESIDENT ON 7 OCTOBER. MILOSEVIC WAS ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED BY THE SERB GOVERNMENT ON 1 APRIL 2001,ON CHARGES OF ABUSE OF POWER , CORRUPTION, SMUGGLING OF GOLD AND FOR THE ASSASSINATION OF POLITICAL OPPONENTS. HE WAS CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF 900 KOSOVOALBANIANS AND FOR THE DEPORTATION OF 740,000. HE IS THE FIRST HESD OF STATE EVER BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE AN INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES COURT. AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 2001 HE WAS ALSO CHARGED WITH THE ACT OF GENOCIDE COMMITED DURING THE WAR OF BOSNIA. 12 FEBURARY,2002 .MILOSEVIC TRIALS BEGAN AT THE HAGUE. HE FACED TOTAL 66 COUNTS OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY AND VOILATION OF LAWS AND FOR THE REGULATION OF WAR IN CROATIA(1991),BOSNIAHERZIGOVINA(1992-95)AND KOSOVO (1999) INCLUDING ONE COUNT OF GENOCIDE. HIS INDICMENTS WERE MERGED TO ALLOW ONE CONTINUOUS HEARING, WITH THOSE RELATING TO KOSOVO TO BE HEARD FIRST. MOST OF HIS CRIMES CARRIED LIFE SENTENCE BUT THERE WAS NO DEATH PENALTY.HE WAS ALLOWED THE RIGHT TO APPEAL AND WAS ALLOWED ADVANCE AND FULL DISCLOSURE TO THE PROSECUTION EVIDENCE.

THERE WAS APANEL OF 3 INTERNATIONAL JUDGES WHO WILL HEAR THE TRIAL, THERE WAS NO JURY. MILOSEVIC HAD A LAW DEGREE AND SO REFUSED TO ENTER A PLEA AND CONDUCTED HIS DEFENCE BY HIMSELF. BUT THE TRIAL JUDGES ENTERED A PLEA ON HIS BEHALF AND APPOINTED 3 INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS TO MAKE SURE THAT MILOSEVIC GETS A FAIR TRIAL. ON 25 JULY,2002. THE HAGUE REVEALS THAT MILOSAVIC’s DOCTORS HAVE FOUND THAT HE SUFFERS FROM HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND A HEART CONDITION. THE TRIALS WERE INTERRUPTED MANY TIMES DUE TO MILOSEVIC’s ILL HEALTH. ON 19 ,JANUARY2003. MELOSEVIC WAS REELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF SERBIA (SPS).BUT HE ASKED TO GIVE THE POST TO SOMEONE ELSE.