Ex-chief of Serbian police held

By Vaiju Naravane

PARIS, FEB. 25. The former Serbian strongman, Mr. Slobodan Milosevic, has got a step closer to being detained with the arrest of Mr. Rado Markovic, the feared former chief of Serbia's secret services, in Belgrade.

Mr. Markovic is believed to be behind a series of assassinations of top level political opponents and senior civil servants that shook Serbia during the last two years of Mr. Milosevic's regime. Mr Milosevic was ousted as Serbian President in elections last September which brought Mr. Vojislav Kostounica to power.

The charges against Mr Markovic include the assassination attempt on Mr. Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Party and an outspoken critic of Mr Milosevic. Three of his body guards died in the attack in December 1999.

The arrest of Mr Markovic is seen as a first step towards the arrest of Mr Milosevic himself. The former security chief was arrested with two unidentified police officers.

The Justice Minister, Mr. Vladan Batic, said, ``We are entering an intensive war against crime which will leave no one untouchable.'' Mr. Markovic could face a prison term of at least 10 years and possibly a death sentence.

Mr Markovic's arrest led to intense suspicion and insistent rumours that the arrest of Mr Milosevic was imminent. The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal on former Yugoslavia has indicted Mr Milosevic for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the decade of fighting that tore apart the former Balkan federation. Thousands died while several hundred thousand were displaced during the three most recent Balkan wars in which Serbs, Croats and Muslims essentially fought for territory.

Mr. Vuk Draskovic, who faced several assassination attempts, said, ``I hope it will not stop here. I hope the people who gave the orders too are arrested.''

Analysts feel Mr. Markovic could strike a deal with the authorities and trade secrets for a lenient sentence. They feel he could give information leading to the arrest of Mr. Milosevic.

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Section  : International
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