Serbian Prime Minister assassinated

Remarkably similar the the trigger event for WWI.

We must not forget that Mr. Djindjic was behind the decision to extradit Mr. Milosevic. The latter is being considered by many Serbs as a national hero, therefore Mr. Djindjic is regarded as a traitor. Granted, violence is traditionally a part of political culture in Balkans, such a result was predictable, sooner or later it was supposed to occur. I think, Mr. Djindjic knew this, since mentality of Serbs is quite familiar to him.

i don't think mr. milosevic was very popular anymore in his country at the end, steissd. you will have noticed that his party was routed at the elections after his downfall (scoring 14% against 64% for the DOS (Democratic Opposition) - hardly a sign of "national hero" status for slobo. at the presidential elections last fall/winter the socialists didnt even put up a candidate. when milosevic was extradited there was a lot of grumbling but only the smallest of demonstrations, hardly public outrage.

what is true is that the milosevic regime in its later days became intensely interwoven with the world of organised crime, which kept the "parallel economy" going while milosevic's "economic policies" reduced the official economy to a charade. they received something of a protected status while financing both milosevic's clique and the unofficial militias (like Arkan's) that would venture out ahead of the serbian troops when war was on. in the last two or three years of milosevic's rule some very prominent public figures were assassinated in shootings that were conspicuously left unpunished, and it was never clear whether someone had been shot because of "business" ties or because he was a dissident voice.

the problem a bit is that all these worlds became interwoven, that of the 'dissident' politicians (who often had jumped off of milosevic's bandwagon only over the course of time) included. the mobsters may have had a lot to lose with milosevic's fall, but on the other hand didnt seem to have had all too much trouble getting settled in post-milosevic serbia, either.

in fact, it was often rumoured about djindjic as well that he maintained quite friendly ties with some mobster clans. then again, perhaps nobody would have survived without such ties in the chaotic post-revolt days. djindjic was known as a very shrewd politician, a great tactician in the snake pit of serbian politics, who was better at winning power than winning people's hearts. his recently started drive against the mobsters could have signalled a confidence that he could do without them now as much as a sincere conviction that the continuing powerhold of organised crime had to be broken. a brave but fatal gamble, in any case, it seems.

the interesting thing will now be to see how the public will react. as said, djindjic himself was never popular, it was his competitor kostunica who was the popular favourite. but now that he fell - assuming that he did - in the 'fight against organised crime', will he become a national hero after all - more popular dead than he was ever alive?

nimh

Thanks for this excellent summary!
(The Frankfurter Rundschau called Djindjic some time a man, more loved in Germany than in Serbia.)

Djindjic's death by politcals or org. crime? (or both?)
2 Suspects For Serbian Assassination
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, March 12, 2003

(CBS) Two suspects are in custody, but police in Serbia are continuing a nationwide search for those responsible for the assassination of the country's prime minister.

Snipers lurking near government headquarters Wednesday assassinated the pro-Western leader who helped topple Slobodan Milosevic and brashly declared war on rampant organized crime.

The slaying of Zoran Djindjic at midday in downtown Belgrade prompted the government to impose a nationwide state of emergency amid fears that the volatile Balkan country could plunge into violence in a power struggle for his successor.

Djindjic, 50, died of his wounds in a Belgrade hospital after being shot in the abdomen and back, said Nebojsa Covic, a deputy prime minister. One of Djindjic's bodyguards was injured, police sources said.

It was the first assassination of a sitting European head of state since Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was gunned down in Stockholm in 1986.

Police sources told The Associated Press that two snipers firing from a building across from government headquarters shot Djindjic as he slowly left his car on crutches after suffering a recent soccer injury to his foot. A high-powered bullet left a dent on Djindjic's armored car.

As CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports, moments after the sniper fire, bodyguards hustled the Serb leader into a car and raced him to a Belgrade hospital.

Two suspects were arrested, witnesses said. But police, unsure whether they had the gunmen, launched a nationwide search for the assassins. They set up roadblocks in Belgrade and halted bus, rail and plane traffic from the capital. Witnesses said the suspects fled in a red car.

Citing a danger to "constitutional order," acting Serbian President Natasa Micic imposed the state of emergency, giving the military the same powers as police to investigate and detain suspects without a warrant.

"The state will use all means at its disposal until the perpetrators of this crime, and all other crimes in the past, are brought to justice," Micic said. Under the constitution, Micic must nominate a successor to be approved by a majority vote of the Serbian parliament.

The Supreme Defense Council, the state's top defense body, met in emergency session to discuss putting into effect the heightened state of emergency.

Djindjic had many enemies because of his pro-reformist and pro-Western stands.

He was despised by some for arranging the extradition of Milosevic to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2001, and for calling for more arrests of top Serbs indicted as war crimes suspects.

He also was targeted by powerful Serbian crime bosses and warlords who were allied with the former Yugoslav president.

Drive-by shootings, explosions and mafia-style shootouts have been commonplace in Serbia, which is still recovering from Milosevic's ruinous 13-year rule.

Police carrying machine guns and clad in bulletproof vests stopped traffic in downtown Belgrade, searching cars and checking passengers. Police also took up positions in front of key government buildings and the central post office.

CBS News reports Djindjic's mother visited the Belgrade hospital where her son's body lay. Two men helped the grief-stricken woman into her car before she was driven away.

The hospital was blocked by police, and Djindjic's sobbing wife, Ruzica, was seen being led away from the hospital building.

Djindjic often was criticized by opponents for seeking too much power and for "mercilessly" fighting his political rivals.

He recently promised to try to arrest Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb military commander and the No. 2 fugitive sought by the U.N. tribunal. Mladic is thought to be hiding in Serbia.

Djindjic also was engaged in a bitter political feud with his former ally, Vojislav Kostunica, who stepped down as Yugoslav president earlier this month after Yugoslavia was abolished and recreated as a new state renamed Serbia and Montenegro.

Djindjic's feud with Kostunica since the two teamed up to oust Milosevic had virtually paralyzed much-needed economic and social reforms.

Kostunica said Wednesday that while he disagreed with Djindjic on many issues, the assassination was "awful ... this shows how little we have done to democratize society." He told B-92 radio that the killing was "a warning to look ourselves in the eye and ask how much crime has permeated all the pores of society."

Djindjic appeared to have been targeted last month when a truck suddenly cut into the lane in which his motorcade was heading to Belgrade's airport. The motorcade narrowly avoided a collision, and Djindjic later dismissed the Feb. 21 alleged assassination attempt as a "futile effort" that could not stop democratic reforms.

After Wednesday's shooting, the Cabinet held an emergency session and declared three days of mourning.

"This criminal act is a clear attempt by those who in the past have tried to stop Serbia's progress and democratization by assassinations to change the course of history and once again isolate Serbia and turn it into a criminals' haven," said Covic, the Djindjic deputy.

U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his condolences. Djindjic "will be remembered for his role in bringing democracy to Serbia and for his role in bringing Slobodan Milosevic to justice," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

According to Whitaker, Djindjic was hailed for bringing democracy to the torn nation, built from the remnants of the former Yugoslavia. Djindjic spearheaded the popular uprising, culminating in the storming of parliament, which swept former dictator Milosevic from office.

In return Djindjic was given billions of dollars in western aid. He believed Serbia's future depended on cooperation with the U.N. and bringing Serbia into the European mainstream.

The U.N. tribunal's chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, told Associated Press Television News in The Hague: "Prime Minister Djindjic was our first supporter ... I lost a friend."

Thanks to all for the info, I'd heard a comment on NPR on the way home, but knew no details.

Serbia-Montenegro: Underworld Surfaces Again
POLITICS-SERBIA&MONTENEGRO:
Underworld Surfaces Again
Vesna Peric Zimonjic - Inter Press Service Agency

The assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic has shocked Serbs out of their belief that the days of violence ended with the fall of former president Slobodan Milosevic two years ago.
Three men were arrested immediately after the assassination. But a larger hunt is on. The Supreme Defence Council has directed army units to join the police in search of the killers and conspirators.

BELGRADE, Mar 13 (IPS) - The assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic has shocked Serbs out of their belief that the days of violence ended with the fall of former president Slobodan Milosevic two years ago.

Three men were arrested immediately after the assassination. But a larger hunt is on. The Supreme Defence Council has directed army units to join the police in search of the killers and conspirators.

Hundreds came to lay flowers and light candles at the steps of the government headquarters where Djindjic was shot. A public show of emotion of this kind is unusual in Serbia.

Djindjic (50), the energetic and pragmatic prime minister who was leading the economic reforms died at the Belgrade Emergency Centre Wednesday afternoon after he was shot.

Djindjic was leaving his car on crutches. He had a leg injury after a football game.

The shots came from a nearby building. Two guns and a blanket belonging to the assassins were found there later.

Djindjic had bypassed the law in 2001 to arrest and extradite Milosevic for trial at The Hague. Djindjic masterminded the downfall of Milosevic in October 2000 and was the politician Milosevic most openly hated.

Early suspicions point to leaders of organised crime who had enjoyed Milosevic's patronage. Serbian authorities say supporters of the so-called Zemun Clan are behind the killing.

Zemun is a neighbourhood in Belgrade widely believed to be home to powerful crime figures who had operated freely in the Milosevic days. They were reported to have close links with the police.

These figures profited from smuggling of petrol, cigarettes, weapons and drugs in the years of economic sanctions imposed on Serbia.

The authorities said last night that these underworld leaders are behind dozens of abductions, about 50 gang-style killings in the past few years and the creation of a network of organised crime across former Yugoslavia which fell apart in 1991.

"The criminal act is a clear attempt by those who have been trying to stop the development of Serbia and its democratisation, to change the course of history, to isolate and turn Serbia into the kingdom of organised crime again," deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic told journalists.

Djindjic had said repeatedly in recent months that the fight against organised crime was the prime task of his government. Most Serbs approved of this, but many disliked Djindjic's swift push to market economy that left thousands jobless with little improvement in living standards.

Questions have arisen now over the pace of reforms. "Djindjic's death will slow down the badly needed reforms for a while," analyst Budimir Babovic told IPS.

For the first time in decades, the Serbian government has declared a state of emergency "to prevent further consequences that could jeopardise the constitutional order and safety of the country."

The state of emergency has brought suspension of some basic rights like privacy. Authorities can have access to mail and other forms of communication. Large rallies and strikes are banned.

"This is the biggest test for democracy since Milosevic fell from power," says Vojin Dimitrijevic, professor of law at Belgrade University. "However feeble its roots are, it would be very bad to see the death of Djindjic destroy them."

But analyst Bratislav Grubacic says there will be no chaos. "The political powers in Serbia are capable of achieving consensus on maintaining order in the country to avoid worse consequences," he told IPS.

Those investigating the murder of Djindjic have on their way now resolved another mystery: the mysterious dissapearance, in August 2000, of former President Stambolic, once a Milosevic ally, but forced out of office by Milosevic in the late 80s. The Serbian police has now found his body.

According to minister of Interior Affairs Mihajlovic, Stambolic had been out jogging when he was kidnapped by the special police unit JSO (Unit for Special Operations - founded in Milosevic times), and subsequently killed. According to the minister it had been clearly a political assassination. The four kidnappers have now all been arrested. Mihajlovic assured that Milosevic and his wife Mira Markovic will be questioned about the case.

It is the same JSO that now is suspected of the murder on Djindjic. The government disbanded and disarmed the notorious JSO last tuesday in relation to this suspicion. Ex-commander Lukovic and 15 other JSO-members have been arrested.

they killed him and we're done. we're now in a deppressing state.