Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's villa is surrounded by police as the Serbian government attempts to negotiate an end to a tense standoff.
Published:
31 March 2001 y., Saturday
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said negotiations with Milosevic were underway, and he believed an end to the stand-off could be negotiated. But as Milosevic remained inside, new charges were brought against him for inciting an uprising and resisting arrest.
The developments came on the eve of a U.S. deadline calling for Belgrade to cooperate with the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, which has indicted Milosevic, or face a cutoff of about $50 million in U.S. aid.
As hundreds of demonstrators, most of them Milosevic supporters, gathered outside the property near Belgrade, Ministry of the Interior police reinforced their positions on Saturday. Hours earlier dozens of masked police gunmen stormed the compound surrounding the villa amid a flurry of flash grenades and gunfire.
At one stage they made an unsuccessful attempt to break through the compound's gates by ramming them with a van. The police were attempting to arrest Milosevic on local charges of corruption and abuse of power. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica has insisted it would be unconstitutional to extradite Milosevic to The Hague. The Hague tribunal formally indicted then-Yugoslav President Milosevic for alleged war crimes in May 1999.
Šaltinis:
cnn.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The Champs Elysees rings in the holiday season with a festive lighting display.
more »
Westminster Abbey is confirmed as the venue for the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011.
more »
15,000 pilgrams flock to see official unveiling of the world's tallest statue of Jesus in Poland.
more »
Muslims in Bangladesh go to market to buy livestock to slaughter for the approaching holy Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
more »
Ten–year strategy for people with disabilities so they can take part in all aspects of daily life across the EU.
more »
Ahead of the Africa-EU Summit taking place from 29-30 November in Libya, the Commission presents today its proposals for a consolidation of the Africa-EU relations.
more »
Average CO2 emissions from new cars sold in the EU dropped by 5% last year, the biggest annual fall ever recorded, a report published today by the European Commission shows.
more »
Baby koala fights for her life in Australia after being injured by shotgun fire.
more »
Plans to give consumers more control over how personal information is collected and used.
more »
A severe drought pushes river levels in Brazil's Amazon region to record lows, isolating communities and strangling vital boat transport links.
more »