SARAJEVO, Jan 17 (Hina) - The same scenario used to topple a former Yugoslav autocrat, Slobodan Milosevic, will be applied to nab the war-time Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
SARAJEVO, Jan 17 (Hina) - The same scenario used to topple a former
Yugoslav autocrat, Slobodan Milosevic, will be applied to nab the
war-time Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, wanted by the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
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After the international communty's High Representative to Bosnia,
Paddy Ashdown, recently announced the possibility of imposing
sanctions against the country's Serb entity due to its refusal to
help arrest Karadzic, the Sarajevo-based press on Friday
speculated about possible measures.
The "Dnevni Avaz" daily quoted an unnamed foreign diplomat as
saying that the scenario used in Serbia to oust Milosevic would be
used also for the purpose of apprehending Karadzic.
The scenario includes bans on travel and refusal to issue visas to
persons believed to be close to Karadzic or to be financially
helping the former university professor who is on the run.
The same source said the international community was mulling the
possibility of confiscating the property of Karadzic's aides,
regardless of whether the assets were in or outside Bosnia.
There is no information on any concrete name but some indicators
show that this measure is likely to affect journalists, politicians
and public servants in the Republic of Srpska.
Another daily, "Oslobodjenje", recalls that the international
community froze Milosevic's and his associates' bank accounts in
foreign banks and this is likely to happen in the case of Karadzic as
well.
The targeted sanctions are designed in such a way so as not to affect
people who are not responsible for harbouring Karadzic.
The newly-appointed foreign minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, who
until recently was the premier of the Serb entity, refuted
Ashdown's criticism about local authorities' failure to help
arrest Karadzic.
"We still assert that war crimes suspects are not on the territory
of the Republic of Srpska," Mladen Ivanic reiterated, insisting on
firm evidence that Serb authorities were unwilling to nab the
former Bosnian Serb leader.
According to the chronology of the direct sponsorship of the Serb
entity's leadership of Karadzic's protection, there are written
records that in 1997, 250,000 marks had been allocated from the
entity's budget for Karadzic and his security.
It is assumed that the financing of Karadzic from public funds has
never ceased, but since 1997 it has been done in roundabout ways.
What is evident is that the network which provides support to the
ICTY indictee has so far been successful in hiding this war
criminal.
(hina) ms