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Who killed Arkan, and why?
Nobody knows, but wishful thinking and wild
speculations and dreams of blaming Milocevic are abundant in Western Media.
Also read statement from the Chief Prosecutor of The War Crime Tribunal
Below is a summary of the complete nonsense:
BALKANS: Arkan May Have Been Plotting Against Milosevic
Evidence is mounting that Serbian paramilitary
leader Zeljko Raznatovic, also known as Arkan, had turned
against Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic before his murder, (The Sydney Morning Herald) reports.
Serbian opposition politicians and local analysts say Arkan had made a series
of overtures toward
Milosevic's opponents and raised the possibility of
moving to Montenegro because of concerns about his security. Arkan apparently
had close relations with opposition leader Zoran Djindjic and
approached pro-Western Montenegrin leader Milo Djukanovic. Djukanovic
is a Milosevic foe and has allowed allies who have become enemies to settle
in Montenegro several times (Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Jan).
According to the Washington Post, the most common theory behind Arkan's 15
January death is that elements close to Milosevic gunned him down because he
was threatening to give war crimes prosecutors damning information regarding
Milosevic. Arkan was secretly indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1997, and some observers believe he was
threatening to provide information about Milosevic in exchange for leniency
in his own case.
Lawyers and others saying they represented Arkan contacted ICTY several times
in 1998 and 1999, but tribunal spokesperson Paul Risley said "none of
the contacts resulted in actual discussions with the office of the prosecutor
regarding the surrender of Arkan."
NATO officials said there is doubt about whether Arkan was killed by
Milosevic allies or a rival criminal gang, but added that the professional
nature of the killing -- along with Arkan's seeming trust of his attackers --
suggests that Milosevic's associates could have been responsible (Charles
Trueheart, Washington Post, 19 Jan).
Serbian officials continue to deny involvement by Milosevic's government.
"Arkan was simply a criminal, and he was killed by the Montenegrin Mafia
that wants to take over Belgrade," Information Minister Goran Matic
said (Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 19 Jan).
Click here for yesterday's
UN Wire coverage of Arkan's assassination.
Milosevic's Son A Suspect
The Toronto Globe and
Mail reports that Milosevic's son, Marko, may
have been behind Arkan's assassination. Analysts say Marko Milosevic, 25, was
involved in an escalating dispute with Arkan over the most profitable type of
Balkan smuggling, oil.
Sources also say one of Arkan's last remarks was, "If anyone ever tries
to do me over, I'll make sure I get that bastard Marko."
According to rumor, Arkan was anxious to reestablish himself after losing
control of oilfields in Eastern Slavonia, now part of Croatia. Marko
Milosevic, meanwhile, is believed to control much of the contraband trade
across Yugoslavia's border with Bulgaria. Two years ago, rumors circulated
that Marko Milosevic had been shot outside a boat bar along the Sava River in
Belgrade, and reports concluded that Arkan could have been behind the
shooting.
The "extraordinary events" behind Arkan's assassination, the Globe
and Mail says, prove his influence was decreasing, and that he had
developed serious concerns regarding his status (Tom Walker, Toronto Globe
and Mail 19 Jan).
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