New Premier Says Serbia Will Try Milosevic
Promising that his government will hold Slobodan Milosevic accountable for past crimes, Zoran Djindjic took office as the first pro-democracy prime minister since World War II in Serbia, Yugoslavia’s dominant republic.
Djindjic’s promise came as chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte left Belgrade disappointed Thursday after Yugoslav leaders rejected her demand that Milosevic be tried by the Netherlands-based court rather than before domestic tribunals.
Djindjic, who was sworn in Thursday, wants to see the former strongman on trial in Yugoslavia--if not for the four Balkan wars that he triggered, then for years of corruption and economic mismanagement.
His new 17-member Cabinet also was sworn in Thursday in what is in effect the first non-Communist Serbian administration since World War II. Because more than 90% of Yugoslavia’s 10 million people live in Serbia, whoever controls that republic in effect controls the country. Yugoslavia’s smaller republic is Montenegro.
Late Thursday, Djindjic’s Cabinet made its first decision by replacing Rade Markovic, the feared state security chief and a Milosevic ally. Markovic’s removal was expected, but the speed of the action was a clear message to Milosevic.
Goran Petrovic, a police official sacked during Milosevic’s rule, was chosen to succeed Markovic.
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