Serbian TV broadcast Pratt's 'confession'  ALSO Report: 400,000 homeless Kosovars hiding in province NATO: Aerial photo may show mass graves in Kosovo Congress faces debate over ground troops in Kosovo

April 11, 1999
Web posted at: 4:58 p.m. EDT (2058 GMT)

CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- CARE Australia's chief executive said Sunday he was "deeply concerned by the nature of the interrogation" of a CARE worker who, on Serb television, said he was a spy.

Serb television RTS broadcast what the station called a "confession" Sunday from humanitarian relief agency worker Steve Pratt.

"When I came to Yugoslavia I performed some intelligence tasks in this country using the cover of CARE Australia," said Pratt, 49.

This is the first time that Pratt has been seen since he disappeared with colleague Peter Wallace 10 days ago in Bosnia.

"This clearly explains why it has been difficult to get any information or confirmation of why and where Steve and Peter have been held," said CARE Chief Executive Charles Tapp.

Tapp denied allegations of wrongdoing by CARE in a written statement.

"CARE Australia is a purely humanitarian organization. CARE is a strictly non-political, non-religious provider of aid. It has always been and remains so," Tapp said.

Pratt was in charge of logistics for Australia's military before retiring and eventually joining CARE.

During the broadcast on Serb TV, Pratt appeared calm and composed as he detailed his so-called spying activities, with maps showing where the alleged covert operations took place.

In Sunday's broadcast, Pratt said, "My concentration was on Kosovo and some effects of the bombing. I misused my Yugoslav staff in the acquisition of information."

"I realize that damage was done to this country by these actions, for which I am greatly sorry. I always did and I still do condemn the bombing of this country," he said.

Pratt, from Sydney, and Wallace were responsible for CARE's Kosovo program out of Belgrade until its suspension on March 22.

Wallace, 30, from Queensland, Australia, was neither seen nor mentioned during the Serb broadcast.

According to CARE, the organization last had communication with the two on April 1 as they prepared to leave Belgrade and head north to Hungary.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Friday called for Belgrade to "immediately release the two Australians and allow them to leave the country."

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