Milosevic Concedes but Wants to Stay in Politics

Slobodan Milosevic, who presided over the destruction of Yugoslavia, on Friday accepted election defeat at the hands of president-elect Vojislav Kostunica in what appeared to be a bloodless transition of power.

Addressing the Yugoslav nation on the only major television station still under his control, Milosevic congratulated Kostunica on his election victory and said his Socialist Party would be strong in opposition and he would play a part.

Looking weary and drawn before the TV cameras, Milosevic made his address just an hour after meeting Kostunica alone in their first ever face-to-face encounter.

``I congratulate Vojislav Kostunica on his election victory and I wish our nation success over the next term,'' Milosevic said in a brief recorded statement to Yu-Info television.

``I've just got official information that Vojislav Kostunica won the elections,'' he said, adding that a ruling by the Constitutional Court confirming Kostunica's victory had to be respected.

Kostunica is expected to be sworn in as president by the new parliament, elected at the same time as the president, on Saturday afternoon.

The meeting between the two men in a government building in Belgrade began with the words ``Good Evening.'' They introduced themselves and shook hands before retiring behind closed doors for talks lasting almost an hour.

The events appeared to diffuse remaining tension in Yugoslavia, where opposition supporters feared Milosevic and his backers would use violence to keep hold of power.

But in a city rife with rumor, unconfirmed reports said two buses packed with police loyal to Milosevic were headed for the capital after nightfall, suggesting confrontation.

None of these reports could be substantiated. But the rumors coincided with an opposition statement which warned that Milosevic was trying to use the police to provoke civil war to regain power.

The statement was later withdrawn and then re-released in almost the same form in the name of just one of the opposition leaders.

Adding to the fresh uncertainty, a leading Serbian economist Mladjan Dinkic, tipped to be the next governor of the Yugoslav central bank, said Milosevic was attempting to fly the country's dwindling state gold reserves out to China.

``A DC10 bound for Beijing and scheduled to take off at 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) is still at the airport. It will soon take off. Tonight we fear there is an attempt to take the gold out,'' Dinkic told Reuters by telephone.

Opposition supporters working at the National Bank of Yugoslavia crashed the bank's central computer earlier on Friday to halt what Dinkic said was an attempt by a clique surrounding Milosevic to spirit foreign currency reserves to their bank accounts abroad.

If any doubts remained over other security forces, the head of Yugoslavia's army, embroiled in four wars since the old Yugoslav federation began to crumble in 1991, said the armed forces would respect the will of the people.

``Members of the Yugoslav army, strictly respecting constitutional rulings, did not take part in the political struggle, are ready to accept the people's will and all the legitimate decisions of the electoral institutions,'' Lieutenant General Nebojsa Pavkovic said in comments read out on Yu-Info.

The army said later that conditions were fulfilled for working relations with the new president.

Ivanov Key To Day's Events

Tens of thousands of people thronged Belgrade on Thursday to back Kostunica's election victory in a popular uprising which saw parliament torched and other key buildings occupied by opposition activists.

On Friday morning, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov flew to Belgrade to meet Milosevic, whose whereabouts had been unknown during Thursday's revolt, and then spoke with Kostunica.

Ivanov said Milosevic had agreed not to use force to retain his position as president and implied he was planning to step down by saying he would continue to remain active in political life through his Socialist Party.

He said his party would form the opposition and he would play a part after he had spent time away from the political cauldron with his grandson.

But Milosevic's future was still unclear. He is wanted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Hague for his conduct of the conflict in Kosovo last year and the United States said on Friday it would not support any continuing role for him in Yugoslavia.

Speculation circled around whether the master tactician aimed to remain in some form of office in order to enjoy immunity, was planning his escape or would stay around as a brooding presence. (Source: chinadaily.com.cn)





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