|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback | |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|  |
Milosevic admits defeat
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- President Slobodan Milosevic has conceded defeat in September's presidential elections. Speaking on Serb television, the Yugoslav leader congratulated opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica on his victory, seemingly accepting that a massive popular uprising by opposition supporters has swept him from power. The appearance followed a television interview by Kostunica in which he told Serbians he had made contact with the Yugoslav army and is confident "we can live in peace." Asked in an interview about public concern over control of the army, Kostunica said he had been in touch with military leaders and people should not fear that there would be any attempt by the military to regain power for Slobodan Milosevic.
"You can be completely calm. I have conducted talks and am still conducting them," he said. "The Yugoslav army is really our army." He promised he would improve conditions and said: "You can be absolutely quiet and calm... I am completely convinced that the army must be beyond politics... de-politicised." The army accepted his stance, he added. Kostunica revealed he had spoken to the Russian Duma two days ago and was full of praise for the "democratic" way Russian elections had been carried out. He had also been in meetings with government officials and with members of the Montenegran socialist government, and said he "even" expected meetings with Slobodan Milosevic. "We need to communicate normally without conflict. I think it is starting to happen." He revealed he had already spoken with Jacques Chirac, President of France, and also with the Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. He spoke, too, with "our old friends" Greece - with foreign minister Papendreou - who would be in Belgrade on Saturday. "We hope that on Monday there are good opportunities for lifting sanctions, " he said. He told viewers he would work for equal rights in Yugoslavia and would seek to improve relations with Europe. The live TV broadcast came hours after the Yugoslav constitutional court, in a reverse of course, ruled that Kostunica had indeed won the presidential election last month over Slobodan Milosevic. Demonstrators celebrated in the streets with honking car horns and jubilant shouts on hearing the news. The announcement followed an extraordinary series of events in Belgrade since Wednesday when the court, packed with Milosevic allies, threw out the presidential results of the September 24 elections. U.N. refugee boss Sadako Ogata said it was too soon to predict how the "positive, democratic turn" would affect some 700,000 refugees and internally-displaced persons living in Serbia, Europe's largest refugee population. About 200,000 people who fled Kosovo remain in Serbia and Montenegro, the vast majority in Serbia, joining 500,000 refugees from Bosnia and Croatia's Krajina region, according to her UNHCR agency which runs a major refugee programme in Serbia. Romanian President Emil Constantinescu echoed relief around the Balkans as he hailed Milosevic's defeat and compared it to the 1989 fall of Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. "Just as the Ceausescu regime fell, any regime that defies its own people will also fall. The Milosevic regime is over," Constantinescu said in a statement. Only China, one of Milosevic's staunchest supporters during his 13-year reign, expressed doubts. "China is seriously concerned about the situation in Yugoslavia and appeals for restoration of stability in that country," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi as saying. However, Sun also said Beijing "respected the choice of the Yugoslav people" and repeated Beijing policy of non-intervention in the affairs of other countries. Ambivalence to Milosevic's overthrow was also evident in Moscow, where the State Duma lower house of parliament refused to send Kostunica greetings. Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said the revolt smelt of "marijuana, vodka and dollars." Belarus, which has relatively good relations with Milosevic, said it would consider any asylum application. Excited crowds milled through Belgrade centre, relishing the sudden fall of Slobodan Milosevic. Parents brought their children to see the burnt-out parliament building, smiling couples walked hand-in-hand along the streets and youths sprayed the slogan "He's finished" on wrecked cars and sooty walls. "I wanted my boys and girls to see what has happened here. This is history," said Nedeljka Filovski, with her four children in tow, including a bemused-looking three-month old baby strapped to her chest. The sound of a thousand shrill whistles filled the air and rock music blasted out of a makeshift stage erected in front of the blackened parliament building. The day after a mob surged through police lines and stormed the federal parliament, bringing the curtain down on 13 years of Milosevic rule, many could still not believe what had happened. "No one thought it would all end so easily," said 23-year-old law student Jelena Arsic. "Let this be a warning to other presidents: If you hurt your people, you will suffer," she said, smiling. Opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica is expected to be formally named president Saturday and will then start the huge task of rebuilding this country, ground down by a decade of conflict and economic sanctions. But worries about the tough times ahead were forgotten on Friday. "October 5 will be our national day. It marks the start of our new future," said Vesna Zdravkovic, wandering through a small park with her husband and two-year old boy. "These have been hard years for us. We didn't have the things you have in normal countries," she said. Cars streamed up and down the wide boulevards, horns blaring and men waving the three-fingered Serb salute from open windows. In stark contrast to the pulsating streets of Belgrade, roads leading into the capital were eerily deserted in early afternoon as news of Thursday's dramatic events gradually filtered out through the rest of the country. Radio stations played songs of liberation and once-banned anti-Milosevic ballads filled the airwaves. Milosevic to stay in politicsMilosevic has said he intends to remain in politics in Serbia. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Milosevic also told him he intends to continue as the head of Serbia's largest political party. Ivanov met with Milosevic in Belgrade after he congratulated opposition leader and President-elect Vojislav Kostunica on his win in the Yugoslav presidential elections, in an apparent signaling of Russian support for the opposition candidate. Ivanov said he told Milosevic that Yugoslavia needs to make the transition of power peacefully. But CNN's Nic Robertson, speaking from Belgrade, said Ivanov had appeared to backtrack on earlier comments he made when congratulating Kostunica on his election victory. He refused to directly answer reporters’ questions which asked whether Russia recognised Kostunica or Milosevic as president. He was also careful not to say whom he regarded as the current leader, Robertson added. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Clinton administration ruled out any political role in Yugoslavia for Slobodan Milosevic. "This is something we cannot support," said Sandy Berger, the U.S. national security adviser. "He is still an indicted war criminal and has to be accountable, we believe, for his actions," Berger said. "The first step in the process is removing him from power. I would not want to see him playing a role in Serb political affairs," said Berger, President Clinton's senior security aide. Ivanov is the first foreign representative to visit Yugoslavia since the uprising and repeated Russia’s offer of help in the move towards a peaceful transition Earlier, Yugoslavia's ambassador to Moscow and the brother of Yugoslav leader Milosevic told CNN his brother still viewed himself as president. Borislav Milosevic said his brother is "calm" and "confident in what he is doing." "I think he considers himself to be the president. That there has been no legitimate transfer of power. Even if there were elections and the candidate had scored the necessary number of votes, there must be a legal procedure. There has to be a democratic procedure to transfer power," he said. A commission set up by the opposition parties is working on that transition. Kostunica will be sworn in as president because of his direct election by the people, said a representative of the commission. However, he needs a majority in the Yugoslav Parliament to present a government and the opposition parties are working on putting together a coalition. Milosevic's Socialist Party won the majority of seats in the parliament in elections held on September 24, which are not disputed by the opposition. Opposition leaders are now working on getting delegates from Montenegro to come to Belgrade and join the opposition-led government. They are also holding discussions with members of the Socialist Party and with members of leftist parties in parliament. Sanctions could be liftedInternational support for a government led by the opposition leader is gathering momentum with the U.S. joining European Union officials in foreshadowing the lifting of international sanctions as early as Monday.
In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the decision by Russia to recognise Kostunica was "great news." "We are very glad Russia has joined the rest of Europe and us," she said, adding discussions about lifting international sanctions against Yugoslavia would begin on Friday. If Milosevic is truly out of power, she said, there is no need for the sanctions to continue. The EU's Commissioner for External Affairs, Chris Patten, told CNN that the European Commission had been preparing the technical arrangements over the last few days to lift sanctions, and the situation would be discussed at a meeting on Monday. "We'll be acting straight away on sanctions, on lifting the oil ban and making permanent the lifting of the air ban," he said. As Britain also urged moves to lift the sanctions, Prime Minister Tony Blair, visiting Poland, said the people of Serbia could "now make those steps to a fully-fledged democracy." The Brussels-based European Parliament issued a statement on Friday which said: "The Serbian people have taken their destiny in their hands. The European Parliament would like to express their absolute solidarity with them." Germany urged the European Union to offer immediate aid to the new authorities in Belgrade in order to foster democracy in Yugoslavia. Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told a news conference he would make the proposal at a meeting at the meetings in Brussels on Monday. "We will propose that a package of immediate assistance is brought together," Fischer said. Even China, one the staunchest supporters of Milosevic, said on Friday it would not get involved in the affairs of Yugoslavia. NATO Secretary General George Robertson is refusing to make any public comment about the developments in Belgrade. In a brief statement a NATO spokesman said: "We welcome democratic change and the election of a new president in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It offers the opportunity to contribute to a much improved regional stability". A senior official said NATO ambassadors were continuing to keep a close eye on events, adding: "These are still early days." The official said there would be no question of pulling back or withdrawing NATO-led troops in Kosovo in the immediate future. With Russia now confirming its approval of Kostunica and earlier saying it would not offer asylum to Milosevic, the president's options are rapidly narrowing. U.S. intelligence officials are watching all flights in and out of Serbia for any signs that the Yugoslav President may intend to seek refuge in another country.
Yugoslavia's neighbours Bulgaria and Romania have both denied they would accept Milosevic if he fled Serbia. Both countries had put their troops on standby to prevent Milosevic from entering their countries. The only offer of possible asylum for Milosevic came from Belarus on Friday. The country's prime minister, Vladimir Yermoshin, said he would consider an application from the president if one came but so far, no request had been made. In Belgrade, overturned car bodies still litter the streets, some of them burned after demonstrators stormed the federal parliament and state media offices on Thursday setting the buildings alight. The massive demonstrations were sparked by a ruling from the country's constitutional court, staffed by Milosevic allies, that results from the country's presidential elections on September 24 were invalid and a new election would have to be held. Independent observers said Kostunica won the election but Milosevic refused to relinquish power. Military officials met on Friday morning, though it was not clear what level of the military they represented. They did not release a statement after the meeting, but the state Tanjug news agency quoted the army as saying it would not attack protesters unless it was attacked. Kostunica said the transition to his administration would be smooth, but he is urging more protesters on to the streets warning them to be on guard against reprisals. He promised that one of his first actions as president would be to open a dialogue with the republic of Montenegro on independence. "We must now focus on the future of two nations and two national units," he said in an interview on Serbian television, explaining that a referendum may be necessary to reform the constitution of the former Yugoslav republic. Britons released in BelgradeThere were already signs of change in the approach of Yugoslavia on Friday with two British policemen detained in Belgrade on suspected terrorism charges being set free. British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said in a statement: "Detective sergeant Prangnell and police constable Yore were released today." Adrian Prangnell and John Yore were arrested in Montenegro in early August along with two Canadians. While the Belgrade lawyer for the Canadian detainees Shaun Going and Liam Hall said Hall was to be released and Going charged, the British Foreign Office said it expected both Canadians to be "released soon." CNN's Belgrade Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci, The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES: Milosevic's regime 'slowly crumbling,' says expert RELATED SITES: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back to the top |
© 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. |
![[CNN Money]](http://i.cnn.net/cnn/images/main/fn.logo.newsnet.gif){kind=logo}
![[SI.com]](http://i.cnn.net/cnn/images/main/si.logo.gif){kind=logo}
(
