Congress’ Influence May Have Been a Key Factor in Arrest

For the United States, the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic marks a major victory in a saga that has involved massive amounts of American leadership, diplomacy and bombs--all of which Washington never wanted to expend.

But in the end, for all the contentious debate over U.S. intervention in the Balkans, bringing the former Yugoslav dictator to justice was one thing that both the Clinton and Bush administrations agreed on. And that unity created conditions that the new government of Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica apparently could not resist.

Richard Holbrooke, former U.N. ambassador and Balkans negotiator, said Yugoslavia’s move against Milosevic was largely due to pressure exerted on Belgrade by Congress.

The critical moment in Belgrade’s decision about when to act against Milosevic may have occurred in Washington, when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell told Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic on March 21 that the United States would not wait any longer, U.S. officials said.

Djindjic had journeyed to Washington to appeal for an extension of the deadline by which Yugoslavia had to cooperate with an international war crimes tribunal or risk losing tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid.

“Our proposal is, give us time, watch us carefully. Do not take the 31st as a deadline,” Djindjic told reporters after the meeting.

He also pointed out that Yugoslavia had no law that would allow it to send Milosevic to The Hague to stand trial, and, a week and a half later, when Milosevic finally was arrested, it was on domestic charges of abuse of power.

Powell stood firm in his meeting with Djindjic, senior U.S. officials said Friday. He welcomed Belgrade’s commitment to act but made clear that there would be no delay. “You have to keep on that track,” he told the Serbian prime minister, according to the State Department.

Afterward, Djindjic said he felt that U.S. officials were sympathetic. “But they told us very frankly that the Congress will make problems,” he told reporters at the time.

A law passed by Congress blocks funding for non-humanitarian aid for Belgrade unless it is formally certified to be cooperating with the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, which indicted Milosevic in May 1999.

The law does not mention Milosevic specifically. But Washington made clear that Milosevic was the key to badly needed aid to rebuild Yugoslavia after years of sporadic wars, widespread corruption and the 78-day bombing campaign by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

A month ago, the U.S. ambassador to Yugoslavia, William Montgomery, delivered a message outlining several steps that the United States wanted Belgrade to take to cooperate with the Hague tribunal and to facilitate certification, according to U.S. officials. The arrest of Milosevic was high on the list.

“We made it clear that this was one of the steps we looked on them to take,” a senior U.S. official said. “We also said no single step would decide certification.”

In what appeared to be a quiet ultimatum, President Bush on Friday said pointedly that the United States “always said that Mr. Milosevic ought to be brought to justice.”

“I had a visit with the secretary of State about this very matter. We’re watching it very carefully,” Bush said during an Oval Office session with Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

At Friday’s daily White House briefing, spokesman Ari Fleischer stressed that “the position of the White House is that Slobodan Milosevic should be subject to arrest for the crimes that he has committed.”

Powell on Friday deferred a ruling on certification until Monday, and said his decision “will reflect all actions that have been taken by the government.”

For now, the most immediate impact of Milosevic’s arrest may be at home. “It’s significant for a country that needed to see its new government was able to be forceful and to stand up to and make a break with the past,” said a second U.S. official.

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Times staff writer Edwin Chen contributed to this report.