Bosnian Serb Chief Leads Party Meeting

Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic presided Friday over a crucial meeting of his ruling Serbian Democratic Party, but he gave no indication that he intends to loosen his grip on power as required by the Dayton, Ohio, peace accord.

Karadzic, beaming and dressed in black-tie attire, addressed more than 300 party delegates gathered in the cafeteria of an idled tractor parts factory to select presidential and other candidates for the Sept. 14 elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The delegates, who are expected to choose candidates today, welcomed Karadzic with a standing ovation and interrupted his opening speech a dozen times with applause. Although Karadzic never directly mentioned his political ambitions, his tone was defiant.

“The Serbian people . . . have shown that it is possible to survive if they follow God’s path and if they are led by people who do not betray them and who do not make decisions in fear,” Karadzic said. “A leader who is easily frightened does not do his job well.”

The party meeting opened only a few hours after a spokesman for Carl Bildt, the civilian in charge of implementing the peace accord, warned that economic sanctions against the Bosnian Serb republic and rump Yugoslavia could be reimposed if Karadzic does not step down as president this weekend.

Karadzic has been indicted for crimes of genocide by the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, and under the Dayton agreement he is prohibited from holding public office.

Colum Murphy, a special advisor to Bildt, said at a news conference in Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, that Bildt expects “firm results on this problem” before Monday. Bildt and others have been frustrated in efforts to push Karadzic aside, but Murphy said this time will be different.

“We will accept no less than his disappearing from public life,” Murphy said. “Mr. Bildt would like to assure the media that he will have no hesitation whatsoever about triggering sanctions unless we have compliance this weekend.”

In an unusually harsh statement, Murphy accused Karadzic of deceiving the Bosnian Serbs, who he said must “break from false leaders.”

“Make no mistake about it. The plans of resurgent indicted war criminals include resurgent fascism,” Murphy said.

Who will win the high-stakes public face-off--Karadzic or Bildt--remains unclear.

That Karadzic is more frightened than he professes was evident in the heavy police presence around the party conference. Special units were posted at the gate to the factory, along access roads and at entrances to the cafeteria.

Murphy said Karadzic’s continued defiance could lead to stepped-up efforts to arrest him, something the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led force in Bosnia has so far failed to do.

Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, fearing new sanctions against his economically troubled country, has stepped up pressure on Karadzic to move aside, sending senior aides--including his top security official--to Pale this week.

But a top advisor to Karadzic said in Pale that Bosnian Serbs “are not going to be governed by Belgrade’s fears or desires.”

Asked if Karadzic will step down, presidential aide Jovan Zametica replied, “I predict that he will still be president on Monday.”