This little story almost got past me--thank God for Yahoo! news alerts:
From the NYT--30 August, 2005
When two Serbs were killed last weekend in a shooting in Kosovo, Kostunica and Boris Tadic, the Serbian president, rushed to issue statements of outrage. In essence, their message was that the incident demonstrated how far Kosovo remains from the basic standards Europe and the United States demand of any community with ambitions to self-governance. They had a point.
The problem, however, is that Serbia, ever quick to denounce ethnic Albanian "terrorism" in Kosovo, has scarcely begun to confront the crimes it committed on a vast scale in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s.
A video of Serbs killing Muslims at Srebrenica, shown in June at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague, provoked a shock here. That was salutary. It was also a terrible indictment of the degree of Serbian ignorance a decade after the Bosnian war. Six Bosnian Muslims being shot in 1995 were shown in the video. Six! In the early months of the Bosnian war in 1992, tens of thousands of Muslims were driven from their homes, herded into camps and selectively killed. Over that murderous campaign silence reigns. From Kostunica down, obfuscation of the "They-killed-us-we-killed-them" variety is still encouraged....
Within the army, younger officers, with an eye on potential NATO membership, favor Mladic's handover. But older officers cannot accept his capture. "They say they will never accept the arrest of a man with whom they fought in Bosnia," said the army member.
That's interesting. One of Serbia's, and Milosevic's, many fictions is that the Yugoslav Army never fought in Bosnia and the campaign there had nothing to do with Belgrade. Nonsense, of course, but Serbia remains ambivalent about reality. Maybe the real question is just whose reality they are supposedly ambivalent about. There are several so-called "realities" in my own country which don't exactly thrill me to the marrow of my bones--am I supposed to embrace them as gospel because someone in power tells me to?
http://www.nytimes.com/iht/2005/08/31/international/IHT-31globalist.html?pagewanted=print
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
Sorry--been a busy couple of weeks. However, nothing has changed much, news-wise....
A US war crimes envoy yesterday again urged Serbia to arrest the two top Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitives sought by a UN tribunal. US ambassador-at-large for war crimes, Pierre Richard Prosper, said that Serbia-Montenegro cannot move forward into the European Union and NATO without the capture of wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander General Ratko Mladic.
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=56387&LangID=1
Blah, blah, blah...Mladic...blah...blah...Karazdic+
Well, there was that whole bit with Marko Milosevic getting pardoned. THAT really pissed some people off.
Leskovac, 24 August: Archaeologist teams have discovered three massive objects made of iron, which date back to the end of the 14th century BC, at the Hisar hill near Leskovac.
http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=219485
Wonder how long it will be until they link those "objects" to something bad?
A US war crimes envoy yesterday again urged Serbia to arrest the two top Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitives sought by a UN tribunal. US ambassador-at-large for war crimes, Pierre Richard Prosper, said that Serbia-Montenegro cannot move forward into the European Union and NATO without the capture of wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander General Ratko Mladic.
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=56387&LangID=1
Blah, blah, blah...Mladic...blah...blah...Karazdic+
Well, there was that whole bit with Marko Milosevic getting pardoned. THAT really pissed some people off.
Leskovac, 24 August: Archaeologist teams have discovered three massive objects made of iron, which date back to the end of the 14th century BC, at the Hisar hill near Leskovac.
http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=219485
Wonder how long it will be until they link those "objects" to something bad?
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Why don't I like the sound of this?
US seeks military base in Serbia 11:13 August 12 B92
BELGRADE -- Friday – The US is seeking an agreement to base troops in Serbia-Montenegro. The draft agreement was presented yesterday by US Ambassador Michael Polt under the guise of “an agreement on security cooperation”. The draft deal sets out details of the rights of US troops who would be stationed in Serbia-Montenegro. In return the US is dangling the carrot of membership in NATO Lite, the Alliance’s Partnership for Peace program. The other condition for membership of the program is the extradition of Hague Tribunal defendant Ratko Mladic.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php
US seeks military base in Serbia 11:13 August 12 B92
BELGRADE -- Friday – The US is seeking an agreement to base troops in Serbia-Montenegro. The draft agreement was presented yesterday by US Ambassador Michael Polt under the guise of “an agreement on security cooperation”. The draft deal sets out details of the rights of US troops who would be stationed in Serbia-Montenegro. In return the US is dangling the carrot of membership in NATO Lite, the Alliance’s Partnership for Peace program. The other condition for membership of the program is the extradition of Hague Tribunal defendant Ratko Mladic.
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php
Monday, August 08, 2005
Another un-Wanted representation
Last night, on the new TNT series Wanted, the plot centered around three Bosnian Serbs who were sent to execute a man living in the US who was going to testify against one of Milosevic's generals at the Hague. A logical, contemporary plot, right? So, what was so troubling? These three guys, as part of their actions, shot up a bank, killed a woman passerby and her baby (in its stroller), emptied an entire clip from a modified automatic M-6 into the face of the guy they were there to kill, then went to the house of the dead guy's daughter (who had no other relationship to the plot--she came in out of the blue) and killed her, her husband, and her 14-year old daughter. Basically, everyone these guys came in contact with, they killed.
Now, Wanted's entire premise centers around extremely violent criminals, and they play the "kids getting hurt" card because the lead has kids and it gives motivation for character-building scenes. However, I find this type of representation of "the Serb" to be more of the same-old, same-old in terms of stereotypes. The "Muslim terrorists" on 24 in season three killed as many people in the entire season as these three guys did in an hour. That seems to me to be a bit excessive.
Last night, on the new TNT series Wanted, the plot centered around three Bosnian Serbs who were sent to execute a man living in the US who was going to testify against one of Milosevic's generals at the Hague. A logical, contemporary plot, right? So, what was so troubling? These three guys, as part of their actions, shot up a bank, killed a woman passerby and her baby (in its stroller), emptied an entire clip from a modified automatic M-6 into the face of the guy they were there to kill, then went to the house of the dead guy's daughter (who had no other relationship to the plot--she came in out of the blue) and killed her, her husband, and her 14-year old daughter. Basically, everyone these guys came in contact with, they killed.
Now, Wanted's entire premise centers around extremely violent criminals, and they play the "kids getting hurt" card because the lead has kids and it gives motivation for character-building scenes. However, I find this type of representation of "the Serb" to be more of the same-old, same-old in terms of stereotypes. The "Muslim terrorists" on 24 in season three killed as many people in the entire season as these three guys did in an hour. That seems to me to be a bit excessive.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Operation Storm--Ten Years Later
Hague Tribunal Representative Aleksandra Milenov, speaking at a Serb refugee camp outside Belgrade, on the indictment of Croats responsible for war crimes during Operation Storm (whose anniversary is today):
“The Tribunal, unfortunately, cannot issue indictment for all war criminals. The Tribunal focuses on those that it feels are most responsible.” Milenov said.
?????
Seventy percent of the refugees living in these camps in Serbia are from Croatia.
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said that Croatia had every right, according to UN resolutions, to implement the Storm operation. “This action was exceptionally prepared, under all guidelines of war, and was implemented to quickly break the resistance of the aggressor and was carried out while following all international conventions. Unfortunately, after the operation, there were excesses, war crimes and robberies. This was already taken care of in court, but was not completed and now is the time to do so.” Mesic said.
Ten years after the Storm 15:16 -> 20:50 August 04 B92
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php
Hague Tribunal Representative Aleksandra Milenov, speaking at a Serb refugee camp outside Belgrade, on the indictment of Croats responsible for war crimes during Operation Storm (whose anniversary is today):
“The Tribunal, unfortunately, cannot issue indictment for all war criminals. The Tribunal focuses on those that it feels are most responsible.” Milenov said.
?????
Seventy percent of the refugees living in these camps in Serbia are from Croatia.
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said that Croatia had every right, according to UN resolutions, to implement the Storm operation. “This action was exceptionally prepared, under all guidelines of war, and was implemented to quickly break the resistance of the aggressor and was carried out while following all international conventions. Unfortunately, after the operation, there were excesses, war crimes and robberies. This was already taken care of in court, but was not completed and now is the time to do so.” Mesic said.
Ten years after the Storm 15:16 -> 20:50 August 04 B92
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php
Monday, August 01, 2005
They seem so sure....
Ilic awaits Karadzic’s surrender 14:42 August 01 B92
BELGRADE, LONDON -- Monday – Serbian Capital Investments Minister Velimir Ilic expects that Hague fugitive Radovan Karadzic will soon turn himself in to The Hague Tribunal.
Ilic also reiterated the Serbian government’s stance that it truly does not know where Ratko Mladic is hiding, and therefore, is not negotiating a surrender with him.
The Republic of Srpska’s Internal Affairs Ministry official Radovan Pejic could not confirm if any new advances have been made in the search for Karadzic since his wife Ljiljana Zelen Karadzic made a plea last week for Radovan to surrender himself to the authorities for the sake of their family. Pejic did however restate that full cooperation with The Hague Tribunal is of utmost importance.
The British daily Independent writes that Radovan Karadzic’s days of freedom are numbered.
A well-informed source claims that his wife’s call on him to surrender could end his eight years of hiding and have him in the custody of the Tribunal by as soon as the end of this week.
Political analysts and officials say that there is more than one reason behind Ljiljana Zelen’s statement made last week, who has until now, always shown full support for her husband and his fugitive status. Some believe that the family’s poor financial situation is most responsible for her move, since the many years of hiding Karadzic definitely cost the family a lot of money, said the source of the daily, adding that the web of people which has been helping Karadzic hide is beginning to collapse.
Ilic awaits Karadzic’s surrender 14:42 August 01 B92
BELGRADE, LONDON -- Monday – Serbian Capital Investments Minister Velimir Ilic expects that Hague fugitive Radovan Karadzic will soon turn himself in to The Hague Tribunal.
Ilic also reiterated the Serbian government’s stance that it truly does not know where Ratko Mladic is hiding, and therefore, is not negotiating a surrender with him.
The Republic of Srpska’s Internal Affairs Ministry official Radovan Pejic could not confirm if any new advances have been made in the search for Karadzic since his wife Ljiljana Zelen Karadzic made a plea last week for Radovan to surrender himself to the authorities for the sake of their family. Pejic did however restate that full cooperation with The Hague Tribunal is of utmost importance.
The British daily Independent writes that Radovan Karadzic’s days of freedom are numbered.
A well-informed source claims that his wife’s call on him to surrender could end his eight years of hiding and have him in the custody of the Tribunal by as soon as the end of this week.
Political analysts and officials say that there is more than one reason behind Ljiljana Zelen’s statement made last week, who has until now, always shown full support for her husband and his fugitive status. Some believe that the family’s poor financial situation is most responsible for her move, since the many years of hiding Karadzic definitely cost the family a lot of money, said the source of the daily, adding that the web of people which has been helping Karadzic hide is beginning to collapse.
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