Yugoslavia’s Late Trouble With Milosevic

Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said yesterday, ``until the international donors’ conference(29th) that will deal with the issue of financial aid for Yugoslavia begins, we cannot transfer Milosevic to the war criminal court. After reminding that the lawyers for Milosevic filed an lawsuit for a violation of the constitution (against the war criminal transfer law that was passed by the cabinet council on 23rd), he made it clear, ``It is impossible to deprive the defendant to appeal.``

What President Kowtunica mentioned indicates that he tried to carry a strong support for Yugoslavia out from the international donors’ conference scheduled to be held on 29th in Brussel, Belgium, and to show that the decision to transfer Milosevic has been made by the pressure from the western countries including the U.S..

However, Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic of Serbia Republic stressed, ``even if the Yugoslavian court decides the war criminal transfer law that was passed on 24th as unconstitutional, the demand of ICTY has priority. ``Thus, we can transfer Milosevic by 29th at the earliest,`` he said. The lawyer of Milosevic forecasted, ``The current situation indicates that the transfer of Milosevic can begin on 29th.``

Meanwhile, the Social People’s Party (SNP), a representative party for the Yugoslavian Confederation from Montenegro Republic, is acting more prudently.

Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic who belongs to the pro-Milosevic party, SNP, met with a representative from the Milosevic’s Serbian Social Party (SPS) and discussed on countermeasures. AFP reported yesterday that the SNP will decide whether they will remain as a member of the Yugoslavian Confederation, and if they leaves the confederation, the confederation will collapse.

The U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher urged a quick transfer of Milosevic by saying, ``U.S. will likely be participating in the international donors’ conference.`` U.S. is claiming Yugoslavia to transfer Milosevic to the ICTY before the conference begins.

In the meantime, about 10,000 Milosevic supporters held a demonstration near the Yugoslavian Confederation parliament building on 26th. Marching on streets of downtown Belgrade, the demonstrators gathered at the parliament building and protested holding the banners that says, ``Don’t transfer Milosevic to the ICTY.`` The state-run Tanjug News Agency reported yesterday that several protestors were injured due to crash against the police.

Lee Jong-Hoon taylor55@donga.com