-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Riot Police Storm Milosevic's Home Friday, March 30, 2001 E-mail This Story Riot police stormed Former Yugsolav president Slobodan Milosevic's villa early Saturday, contradicting earlier reports saying he had already been arrested. Darko Vojinovic/AP Friday: Milosevic supporters gather in front of the ex-dictator's home in the exclusive Dedinje district of Belgrade. Two hours after the raid began, however, there was no sign of Milosevic, who is believed to be still inside the Villa. The raid began with police firing stun grenades and advancing on the home, where they met with resistance from Milosevic supporters. Reports from the scene say shots were fired both outside and inside the residence. One police officer and one civilian were inured. "We won't let them inside. We won't let them arrest him." Milosevic aide and Socialist Party vice president Zivorad Igic said. After forcing their way inside, police officials served Milosevic with a warrant for his arrest. Milosevic refused to accept the warrant, saying that the police were "NATO servants," according to an Interior Ministry source. Initially, there were signs that police were negotiating with security guards loyal to Milosevic outside. On Friday, Serb TV reported the former Serb leader, who has been indicted by a war crimes tribunal in the Hague, had been arrested on corruption charges by Yugoslav officials. Reports to the contrary soon followed. "I am right here with him. This is nonsense," Igic told Belgrade's B92 radio by telephone. At the time, Igic refused the radio presenter's request to put Milosevic on the telephone to prove the former president was still free. Later Friday, however, Milosevic appeared outside his home. Milosevic said nothing during his brief appearance, waving to about 200 supporters who had gathered outside the gate to his villa. State television, citing unidentified sources in parliament, said earlier Milosevic had been arrested at his home in the upscale Dedinje district of Belgrade. An independent radio station also said he had been taken to the Palace of Justice. That report could also not be confirmed. It was not clear when or if Milosevic would ever face a war crimes trial. Yugoslav officials have in the past said that if he was charged with war crimes, he would face trial in Belgrade rather in the Hague. Adding to the confusion, a U.S. official in Washington said that Yugoslav officials told the Bush administration that he had been arrested. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, gave no further details but said the White House was preparing a statement. The arrest came a day before a U.S. deadline that may have allowed Secretary of State Colin Powell to cut off financial aid to Yugoslavia if he judged them not in compliance with congressionally mandated requirements related to the war crimes tribunal. The law required Powell to suspend assistance to Yugoslavia by Saturday if he finds Yugoslavia is not in compliance. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell will now hold off on a decision until Monday. Boucher said the delay means no assistance funds can be disbursed to Yugoslavia on Sunday. Many blame Milosevic, who came to power in 1988 and ruled until he was toppled by a popular uprising last year, for forcing the disintegration of the Yugoslav federation through a series of bloody conflicts that killed tens of thousands of civilians in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo from 1991-1999. The fighting and atrocities committed in the former Yugoslav republics were the worst seen in Europe since World War II, and twice led to the intervention of NATO forces. Private BK TV, quoting Serbian government sources, said an arrest warrant had been issued for Milosevic, but that police at first hesitated to act fearing bloodshed. About 400 Milosevic supporters — some wielding pistols, clubs and iron bars — were standing in front of the villa gates, saying they were protecting the former leader from possible arrest. Yugoslav Police Chief Zoran Zivkovic refused to comment on the TV report, saying before the arrest: "At this time, I cannot say anything about that." Several police vehicles, some packed with plainclothes policemen toting machine guns, were parked near the entrances of Milosevic's villa in the hours before his arrest. Two ambulances also were parked nearby. Ivkovic later appeared in front of the villa, saying: "I just talked to Milosevic. He stressed his thanks to the people who have been gathering to protect him and called them real patriots." A police official said on condition of anonymity that Serbia's State Security attempted to replace Milosevic's bodyguards Friday. Milosevic reportedly refused to accept the change. The report could not be immediately confirmed. According to the same official, Gen. Senta Milenkovic and a group of bodyguards responsible for Milosevic's security agreed to be replaced while others refused and were reportedly fired. It was not clear how many bodyguards remained on duty. The government of President Vojislav Kostunica has been under pressure from Western governments to extradite Milosevic to the tribunal. But the leadership has been split over whether to surrender the former strongman. Kostunica and others had invoked Yugoslav legislation barring extradition of Yugoslav nationals to a foreign country. Parliament was reportedly preparing a new law that would allow Milosevic to be extradited, but the bill may not be enacted before late April. Since his ouster from power last October, Milosevic has lived under police surveillance in his villa. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF!ttp://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ÝÝÝCTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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