FORMER SERBIAN POLICE COMMISSIONER TESTIFIES AT TRIAL

BELGRADE, Sept 24 (Hina) - A former commissioner of the Serbian secret police, Rade Markovic, on Monday testified before a Belgrade court, dismissing any claims of his involvement in the murder of the former leader of a paramilitary Serb unit, Zeljko Raznatovic alias Arkan. "The national security agency neither knew nor had anything to do with the murder," Markovic said at the trial against nine people indicted of having killed Arkan and two of his friends on January 15 of last year. The former close associate of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic today spoke in court as witness, but is currently serving a one-year sentence for disclosing a state secret. Asked about his contacts with Arkan, Markovic said he met him officially three times. The first time was in the early 1990s, and twice in 1999. he dismissed allegations the two met on the day before the murder. Markovic asserted he saw Arkan for the last time some ten days before he was killed, when Arkan sought help because he was having problems with the tax revenue service regarding his petrol stations. The witness testified he had personally informed the then president Milosevic about this and the previous conversation with Arkan, as Milosevic had used his influence to help Arkan. Markovic refuted that Arkan and Milosevic's son Marko had had an argument, as well as claims that Arkan had slapped Marko Milosevic during a public dispute. Dobroslav Gajic, at the time a police officer under suspension, and eight other persons are indicted of having killed Raznjatovic Arkan. The trial began last October. (hina) lml sb