From both sides!

Why were there no outside observers?
Even Putin complained about that.

If the figures quoted by the opposition are in fact exaggerated, then Milo scored an own goal, n'est pas?

West prepares to drop war crimes charges

Special report: Serbia

Peter Beaumont
Denis Staunton in Berlin and Amelia Gentleman in Moscow
Sunday October 1, 2000
The Observer

The international 'community may let Slobodan Milosevic avoid prosecution for war crimes and escape into exile, if he
agrees to hand power to Serbia's opposition, which defeated him in last weekend's elections.

Diplomatic sources say London, Washington, Bonn and Paris are close to agreeing a formula to be put to Milosevic by
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Belgrade next week.

The Yugoslav President, who is the subject of a sealed indictment from the War Crimes Tribunal, was yesterday still
insisting that elections must go to a second round between he and opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica despite
overwhelming evidence that the opposition won last weekend's elections.

Ivanov's proposed Belgrade visit - yet to be approved by Milosevic - follows intense diplomacy within the Contact
Group on the Former Yugoslavia: the US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia.

The Observer understands the proposal was first floated during a visit to Moscow last week by German Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder, who was instrumental during the war in Kosovo in persuading Russia to mediate with Milosevic
over Nato conditions.

The Foreign Office yesterday confirmed that Foreign Secretary Robin Cook had had two lengthy telephone
conversations with Ivanov over the Belgrade situation on Friday night and on Saturday, after similar talks with his
opposite numbers in Europe and Washington.

Despite the inevitable outcry if Milosevic were allowed to escape prosecution, opinion in the US and Europe is leaning
towards removal of Milosevic from the scene and a peaceful transition to democracy in rump Yugoslavia that could be
threatened by a trial. The prospect of Milosevic escaping trial was raised last week amid speculation this was on the
agenda during Schröder's visit and also in talks between the French Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine and Russian
President Vladimir Putin later in the week.

One Russian newspaper reported on plans to fly the Milosevic family to Kazakhstan. Belgrade papers said some of
the family were already in Moscow. The Yugoslav embassy in Moscow dismissed the reports as 'misinformation'.

Although Russia has not joined the West in pressing Milosevic to step down, Moscow has been quietly distancing itself
from its old ally since election results were announced. Germany yesterday denied negotiating with Moscow for
Milosevic to escape, but a senior German diplomat said he believed that Germany favoured finding an way out for him.

'Officially we're all in favour of [the tribunal]. But we need an exit strategy and that means getting him off the hook,' he
said.

© Copyright Guardian Media Group plc. 2000

Putin offers to mediate in Yugoslav election crisis

Mark Tran
Monday October 2, 2000
The Guardian

Russian President Vladimir Putin today offered to host talks between Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and
opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica to resolve Belgrade's election crisis.

A Kremlin statement issued while Mr Putin was flying to India on a visit referred to both men as candidates in the
second round of the Yugoslav presidential election - an implicit recognition of the official first round results.

"As president of Russia I am prepared to receive in the next few days in Moscow both candidates who have gone
through to the second round...to discuss means of finding a way out of the current situation," the statement said.

But Yugoslav ambassador Borislav Milosevic, Mr Milosevic's brother, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying no
Russian mediation was needed to resolve the impasse.

Mr Putin has taken an active role to broker a deal that would ease Mr Milosevic out of power to enhance the Russian
leader's image as a statesman. The Russian president launched his diplomatic gambit after intensive talks over the
weekend with US President Bill Clinton and European leaders.

Russia has conceded that Mr Kostunica won the poll in the first round.

Moscow played a key role in persuading Mr Milosevic to pull Serbian forces out of Kosovo last year, bringing an end to
Nato's air campaign against Belgrade and the Serb province, and Russia can expect to win the west's gratitude if it
can persuade Mr Milosevic to step down peacefully.

Less than a week remains before Sunday's scheduled run-off elections. Mr Milosevic says Mr Kostunica failed to
achieve an outright victory in the September 24 elections and a second round is needed. The opposition, backed by
the West, insists Milosevic rigged the voting.

"It's up to the people...whether they are going to stand for this or not," said retired General Wesley Clark, who led
Nato's 78-day air war against Yugoslavia last year.

In the current campaign of protests, road blockades temporarily blocked traffic on one bridge in the capital, Belgrade,
while city transit workers staged a two-hour walkout. The blockade appeared stronger in cities and towns outside
Belgrade, bringing life to a virtual standstill in the central and southern industrial heartland towns like Cacak, Pancevo
and Uzice.

Mr Milosevic has so far held the military and police in check. He may be running out of options as some vital industries,
such as coal mines, join the opposition ranks. The independent Beta news agency reported that 500 policemen
entered the Kolubara mine, the nation's largest, late Sunday.

The action could be an attempt to thwart sabotage at the mine, about 25 miles south of Belgrade, where thousands of
workers have walked out. Already, thousands of workers have left key industries in a nation battered by international
sanctions.

Only essential public services were operating in several cities. "They are sending a strong message to Milosevic: 'Your
time in office is over,"' said the US national security council spokesman PJ Crowley in Washington.

© Copyright Guardian Media Group plc. 2000

I am happy to see my Jewish sister Kim back on this board. Shalom.

I hope that both of us can get rid of the Russians monkeys who have taken over this board

Oh not that crap again!
expletive off ! you half-goy momma's boy!

BArnyardsweine I do not Hear your comments on the thieving Sephardick

ber-STEEEEN:

kim aint jewish, and you've been told this more than once.

now that you mention it, you aint jewish EITHER.
you're a RAHOWA boy.
the way i've heard it, your sort of being 'half jewish' DOES NOT COUNT.
and it's a good thing yr. boot-boy buddies dont know, huh?
=====
afternoon, mum!
yes, lawd knows it took long enough to get through but i saw the [expletive] at the cafe.
====
and, igor, thanks for your comments.
cant ask for, nor would i seek, more than that.

hello goys and gals!

..bershteyn, admit it -yer a Gay Blade on Serbian aren't ya? C'mon, be a man, YES or NO?

l-san,
greetings!

Igor,
privet!

Ms. Arx,
welcome back. Your e-box has something in it.

Svoloch,
zdorovo, muzhik. Izvini za zaderzhku, dela ponimaesh zaderzhali..ti segodnya online?

Milosevic FROZEN
HE LOST POZAREVAC AND TOOK PROZAC!

October 2 12:34 PM ET
Swiss Freeze About 100 Accounts Linked to Milosevic
BERNE (Reuters) - Switzerland has frozen about 100 bank accounts
belonging to allies of Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites), but
none of these accounts was in the name of the Yugoslav President
himself, Finance Minister Kaspar Villiger said on Monday.
He told parliament in response to questions that foreign heads of
state often used borrowed names for stashing money away in
Switzerland, the ATS news agency said.
In June last year the Swiss government froze the assets of Milosevic
and four other war crimes suspects and ordered Swiss banks to inform
the authorities about accounts belonging to Milosevic or his allies.
The list has since been expanded to cover more people and companies.

---

See also on yahoo-reuter: U.S. SUPPORTS MILOSEVIC (according to Kostunica)

Jake BaaaaAAAAAArnsweeeEEEEIn!

Don't insult Kim. You are the anti-jew Barnswein the Yard's shame. To be a latino immigrant doesn't make you a Sepharad. Hahaha!

---

Hi Dimitri,
No greeting for your old friend? Huhuhu...
Better DMS than the nasdaq, isn't it? I hope you are/were out...
_______________
Hah! It's a pity the beer kiosk is not allowed to sell after 10pm...
(current time here)

Fred, time to move to Geneva!

still going at 6 am!!!

How are you?


Where the hell is Mary?????
Hehe........

Fred,

Mes appologies, mon amie 😉


still bashing Milo, non-stop, aren't ya? Hehe..well, good for you, Fred. How's life? How's cegnificant other? Is it true that it lasts forever? [wink]

I'm a bit hungover at the moment..I'd tell ya, man - I am getting old. Before - partying for days wasn't such a biggie, and nowadays...
oy-vey..

no alcohole after 10? Don't you have local babushkas sitting by their dvori(yards), selling anything from home-made wine to Vieuve Clicaout(spell)?

At least that's how I was able to manage in my early, EARLY youth days..lol.

Pretty early start you russian lads!!
Check u're ebox, Dionysis!!!!

lol..oh, no, Kim yer getting it all wrong - I AM RECOVERING FROM A CRAZY WEEKEND..but I am at work right now (unfortunately).

check your box, Ms. Arx, they're all in there 😉

NATO Attempts to Destroy Milosevic; Destroys City in the Process

By Paul M. Weyrich
September 28, 2000

---

A person's liberty is mortally affected when, through no fault of his own, he is unable to get any work despite his skills and he is moreover unable to move anywhere else where there is work available.

Consider the poor people of Novi Sad. This is the second largest city in the Yugoslavian Federation. You will recall that NATO was running a campaign against President Slobodan Milosevic. The idea was that NATO's bombing was going to force him out of office. The brilliant strategists at NATO, having failed in moving Milosevic by their bombing of such things as the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, decided that it would be a smart move to disrupt commerce on the Danube River. The Danube has always been the key to transport in that entire region of the world.

Yes, the Danube conjures up romantic scenes of moonlight and song. But actually that represents very little of what the Danube is all about. It mostly handles large freight barges.

To try to hurt Milosevic, NATO bombed all of the key bridges in Novi Sad. That stopped commerce on the Danube, all right. The problem with that action is this: First, it did nothing to Milosevic. Second, Novi Sad was a city run by the opponents of Milosevic. The Mayor and the City Council, which had been recently elected, were determined to oust Milosevic as well.

So what did the NATO bombing accomplish? It threw most of the good people of Novi Sad out of work. It has brought the city to its knees. Milosevic could not care less if the bridges are ever repaired. After all, the city is run by his enemies. So, as long as they are in power, the city remains crippled. Now if the good people there will just elect more of Milosevic's friends, then maybe the bridges can be repaired.

The city wants NATO to rebuild what they have bombed. NATO says they will do so as soon as Milosevic is out of power. And so it goes.

Unfortunately, Serbia is run as a semi-Communist state. So the citizens of Novi Sad can't just pack up and move elsewhere. They are not well off to begin with and most wouldn't have the means to move. But even if they could find jobs elsewhere in Europe, where unemployment is still running very high, they need permission of the government (or perhaps I should say the Communist Party) to leave. Somehow the Milosevic bureaucrats are just not very sympathetic to the requests.

NATO was supposed to be a defensive alliance. Since the fall of the Soviet Union there is nothing to defend against. Lest anyone get the idea that perhaps it was time to disband an alliance which was no longer necessary, NATO went in search of a mission. That mission turned NATO into an offensive operation. The Communists in Russia had spent untold millions to convince Russians that the American nation was the aggressor and that NATO was a threat to Russia. The people never bought it. Now along comes the new NATO and guess what? The Russian people now believe that NATO is an aggressive alliance aimed at Russia. We ourselves managed to do what the Communists never were able to accomplish and it has severely harmed our relationship with Russia.

Oh, and by the way. Russia intervened when she really didn't need to, to persuade Milosevic to wave the white flag. Had she not done so, the U.S. would have gotten into a ground war in Yugoslavia. We would be there still, only we would have lost countless American lives in the process.

Although Serbia was an historic ally of Russia, Russia did our work in this case and we owe her big time for doing so. Instead we have a Russian government far more hostile to American world objectives now than we had before the NATO operation and we can likely thank NATO for that development.

It is time for a redress of grievances. First, we ought to rebuild those bridges in Novi Sad and get those poor folks back to work again. We didn't achieve our objective of removing or even substantially weakening Milosevic, so why should we worry if there is commerce on the Danube again?

Second, we ought to invite Russia to join NATO. That is one way we can put an end to the view now held in Russia that NATO is aimed at destroying Russia. Maybe if Russia is a part of NATO then we can get her co-operation in building an effective missile shield which is needed to defend us against an attack from what the State Department used to call "rogue nations."

Places such as Iraq and North Korea come to mind. If both the U.S. and Russia were part of NATO then it might help us create a new paradigm where a U.S.-Russian alliance can itself be built on the need to protect nation states from the ever-growing threat from radical Islam.

That is a story for another time, but at very least let us do justice to the poor unemployed and desperate people of Novi Sad who will probably do more to undermine Milosevic if they are allowed to get back to normal than we or NATO could ever think of doing.

Paul Weyrich is president of the Free Congress Foundation
http://www.aim.org/