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Last updated:
Dec.20.2003.
Language
options: bosnian
/ english
Oct.23.2003.
HAGUE: Former Serb and Croat leaders Slobodan Milosevic and Franjo Tudjman agreed to carve up Bosnia between them at secret talks in 1991, the last prime minister of Federal Yugoslavia told the Milosevic trial on Thursday.
Ante Markovic said both Milosevic, who is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity at the UN war crimes tribunal, and the late Tudjman had told him personally of the deal they struck at the hunting retreat of Karadjordjevo in north-western Serbia.
Previous witnesses to the Milosevic trial, which began in February 2002, have said they heard indirectly that this deal was made in Karadjordjevo, but none said Milosevic confirmed it to them directly.
Markovic, who tried to pursue economic reforms in ex-Yugoslavia in 1989-90 before the country plunged into a violent break-up, said he held long, separate meetings with Milosevic and Tudjman shortly after the Karadjordjevo talks. "I asked them both the same question, what did they agree on in Karadjordjevo, although I knew that already," he said. "Both of them admitted that they agreed on dividing Bosnia Herzegovina and on the dismissal of the prime minister Ante Markovic."
"My dismissal was viewed as necessary in order to achieve their first goal, the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina between Serbia and Croatia," he told the tribunal.
Markovic said that when he pointed out that carving up Bosnia would lead to bloodshed, the nationalist Tudjman said the Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) were converted Catholics and Milosevic said they were converted members of the Orthodox Church. In
fact, up until mid 19th century, all people in Bosnia were Bosniaks. Their only
difference was religion. Today's Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Serbs' roots stem
from Bosniak people of Catholic and Orthodox religion. Bosniaks have over one
thousand year long tradition as authochtone people of Bosnia. In medieval
Bosnia, Bosniaks were largerly heretics; when Ottomans conquered Bosnia, Bosniak
heretics converted to Islam.
"Tudjman said Europe would not allow a Muslim state in its midst and that Europe would agree to its division, while Milosevic said Bosnia had no chance of survival as a state in Yugoslavia because it was communist dictator Tito’s artificial creation," Markovic said.
In fact, Bosniaks fought for democratic, united country, based
on western values with respect to human rights.
Milosevic said the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina would not be a problem since Croats and Serbs were a majority and that they would leave an enclave for the Bosniaks.
Markovic said he informed former Bosniak leader Alija Izetbegovic, who died on Sunday, a lot later of the essence of his conversations with Milosevic and Tudjman.
Markovic added Milosevic’s tactics instilled such fear in him that he slept with a pistol under his pillow. He said Milosevic ruthlessly sidelined political opponents to secure his personal power.
"Slobodan Milosevic used everything to ensure power for himself and power over the people." said Markovic. "In principle, he wasn’t a nationalist. He was, quite simply, someone who would use everything at his disposal to ensure power for himself."
Markovic also testified about intelligence intercepts of conversations between Milosevic and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic about the Serbian preparations for the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. In recordings from 1991 aired in court Thursday, voices identified as those of Milosevic and Karadzic discussed troop movements, military supplies and war strategy before the outbreak of hostilities.
"It’s very clear these were preparations for war in Bosnia and Herzegovina," said the former politician. "They were discussing the arming of men, helicopters and so on."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic said Serbian police launched a search for Bosnian Serb genocide suspect Ratko Mladic in response to an anonymous tip-off this week but failed to find him.
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