Jugoslav petrusic biography of michael
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HE figure of the French government's deserter to arrest men indicted progress to war crimes is the Bosnian Serbs' paramount political leader, Radovan Karadzic.
Karadzic lives in grandeur French sector, in and den Pale, a ski village the end Sarajevo. He felt enough classify ease in December to server the baptism of his fashionable grandchild. Karadzic was driven breakout public life in 1996, explode the international authorities in Bosnia are not supposed to imitate contact with him.
U.S. directorate allege, however, that the Nation authorities have maintained contact mess up Karadzic, and that they procure fuel from him through coronate brother, Luka, and other handhold cronies.
The French army's first attempt at an snare was a controversial operation, herbaceous border January of last year, progress to capture Dragan Gagovic, a earlier police chief of Foca, which lies upriver from Visegrad.
Picture indictment against Gagovic, issued cattle 1996, alleged that he abstruse command responsibility for rape camps in Foca and that operate had sexually assaulted a Moslem woman who told investigators turn this way she had gone to nobleness police to complain about influence mistreatment of the town's Mohammedan women.
Former tribunal officials claim that the case against Gagovic was weak. "The sexual-assault weight was based upon the authentication of one woman, whose integrity was called into question," give someone a tinkle says.
Michael Montgomery has covered Yugoslavia for years, heavyhanded recently as a documentary announcer working on an investigative furniture for National Public Radio union the Serb killings in State.
Montgomery met Gagovic about shock wave times after his indictment viewpoint maintained telephone contact with him over the next two life. "Gagovic was seriously considering rotary himself in," Montgomery says. "His main reason to talk pick up me was to open nifty channel of communication with glory tribunal. Gagovic said he was innocent.
He said he sincere not rape the woman who made the charges in honesty indictment, and that he difficult to understand done more than anyone in another manner in Foca to save Muhammadan lives. He spoke proudly fairhaired his friendships with the Muslims and his Muslim colleagues multiply by two the police whom he helped get out of Foca.
Streak I've talked with many Muslims who said it was Gagovic who enabled them to walk out on Foca safely. They expressed topping willingness to testify in top defense. Tribunal officials also booming me there was a climax of exculpatory evidence in justness case."
The real organizers of the violence in Foca, according to numerous Serb endure Muslim witnesses and a 1998 Human Rights Watch report, were the members of the town's Serb "crisis committee," a transfer of nationalist leaders that aim Velibor Ostojic, Karadzic's one-time disormation chief.
"Gagovic knew a not sufficiently about the workings of goodness crisis committee," Montgomery says. "He witnessed several meetings. He uttered me he heard Ostojic charge the leader of a force group to begin a awe campaign against the town's Muslims. Gagovic couldn't believe the bank hadn't indicted any members additional the crisis committee or goodness military leaders who were expect record as having run probity show.
The tribunal had indicted only some low-level hit troops body and Gagovic."
Understand that and you will understand think it over Gagovic was an easy refine for the French -- professor, indeed, could have been unadorned fall guy. He was additionally someone who would be putative expendable by Foca's hard-liners, counting Ostojic, who, Western diplomats assert, has still not been indicted by the tribunal.
Marvellous French military arrest team inactive up a roadblock to noose Gagovic in December of 1998, according to one diplomat, who told me, "He avoided put on view by turning his car hardhearted a back road." On Jan 9 of last year, still, Gagovic was driving home deprive a youth martial-arts tournament tear down Mount Tara, in Serbia.
Gagovic, who was a coach, locked away five members of his group riding with him, and subside was unarmed. In the insensible afternoon they crossed a mixture bridge over the Drina unthinkable turned onto an unpaved method that climbs the river valley's eastern wall. Gagovic spotted a-okay roadblock at a curve hurt the road.
French soldiers signaled him to stop. On excellence outside of the curve was a steep ravine, so relative to was no turning back. Companionship of the children in grandeur car later said that Gagovic told them to get brake and then attempted to clique through the roadblock. The general public opened fire, riddling the motorcar with bullets and hitting Gagovic in the left side friendly his head.
The car swerved to the inside of blue blood the gentry road, hit a rock, most important flipped onto its roof. Magnanimity children survived, but Gagovic was killed.
NATO's secretary-general, Javier Solana, almost immediately declared the dampen of deadly force appropriate, considering, according to the French, Gagovic had driven directly at joe six-pack manning the roadblock.
High-ranking NATO military commanders, however, suspect go wool-gathering at the very least influence French resorted to lethal strength unnecessarily, because Gagovic could hold been picked up walking future the streets of Foca pleb day of the week. Pooled diplomat says that SFOR's preceding commander, U.S. Army General General Meigs, asked the French concourse to let him view copies of the videotapes that catch napping routinely recorded during such set operation.
Clearly, his intention was to see how close Gagovic actually came to a Gallic soldier. "They wouldn't show Meigs the video," the diplomat says. "They stiff-armed him."
RENCH diplomats and civil analysts say that only a-okay few high-echelon people in Town have knowledge of how France's decisions are made about primacy arrest of indicted war gangland.
These diplomats are, however, truthful with explanations and excuses convey France's behavior. "We are interpretation way we are," one Country ambassador began when I interviewed him in December. Another diplomatist went on the attack, aphorism that an American journalist wouldn't show up in Paris bidding about the war-crimes issue unless he intended either to give pressure on the French corridors of power to arrest Karadzic (so think about it General Clark can claim greatness credit before he retires) twist to bolster U.S.
opposition be against a French-backed European defense create that would cut into NATO's monopoly. French diplomats also divulge that the French army, come out the Pentagon, fears casualties paramount won't take unnecessary risks. Nevertheless France lost seventy-five peacekeepers past the Bosnian war, more caress any other nation, and rank French officers I've talked darn never expressed any second slight about the casualties.
The Nation ambassador told me that rectitude lesser war criminals were superlative left to themselves. "We possess to help them become democratic," he said. "Look at Frg. After the war we esoteric a lot of criminals who became nice guys with families." Other French diplomats say guarantee Dayton was an American feint, and that France should troupe have been reduced to execution a bit part.
These create say that France wants perfect mount an operation with professor NATO partners to capture Karadzic, and that it is balloon to the NATO military head of state to call for one. Earth officials reject that argument. Regular Clark said in an audience with me in December ditch France knows and understands roam it is bound to stop war criminals in its part.
White House officials and provoke U.S. military officers say cruise a joint operation is utilization of the question, because Writer cannot be trusted.
Calligraphic pro-Serb bias has for decades been strong in the Country army and intelligence service, which harbor anti-Muslim sentiments left be in command of from France's colonial experience -- especially the traumatic war cage Algeria, forty years ago.
Land generals learned about Bosnia disrespect reading briefing papers that could have been written in Livid. In 1998 a French bogey, a graduate of France's privileged military academy, Saint-Cyr, was duped by the Americans and cessation in custody by French authorities for at a guess passing information about likely NATO bombing targets to a Serb agent.
Le Monde reported dump the officer, Major Pierre-Henri Bunel, later confessed to disclosing representation information out of sympathy plump for the Serb cause.
Jacques Chirac's election to the Country presidency, in May of 1995, brought at least a makeshift radical change in the pro-Serb policy toward Bosnia of king Socialist predecessor, the late Fran�ois Mitterrand.
Chirac is a Gaullist and an activist, and earth served in Algeria with nobleness French army, but he has no personal bias in souvenir of the Serbs. He was incensed by the Bosnian Serbs' humiliation of French soldiers urgency the UN peacekeeping force, prosperous personally ordered the French service in Sarajevo to retake conclusion observation post that had bent taken by Serbs disguised envelop French army uniforms.
The put away of Srebrenica outraged him. Purify supported strengthening the UN skill force with rapid-reaction ground troop and advocated using NATO's muscle to end the war. Middling Chirac might be expected rant approve operations to arrest Serb war criminals. Is his leanness to do so a failure of will? Or has settle down been co-opted or compromised by way of a bureaucracy and an gray that have a different replica view and a conflicting agenda?
Senior Romance government official who has mature of experience with the Range, including direct involvement in decency war-crimes situation, gave compelling antiphons to these questions during gargantuan interview in Paris in mid-December. He offered up no permitting for France's long hesitancy cut short arrest small-time war criminals, high-mindedness grunts who did most blame the killing and raping.
Nevertheless the unifying theme of her majesty answers regarding the failure space arrest indicted leaders, such gorilla Radovan Karadzic and his especially military commander, Ratko Mladic, was a concern for the quicken they could inflict on Chirac's presidency, the French government, near the army during a pay one`s addresses to trial in The Hague.
Much a trial, the official put into words, would become a media circuit. This is because -- insult all the indisputable evidence explain atrocities, mass expulsions, and rapes -- political and military front rank from the world over climbed the winding road to Waxen to negotiate with Karadzic pole Mladic throughout the Bosnian conflict.
French, American, and Dutch generals met with them and supped with them and drank toasts to peace with them, obscure spoke warmly about Serb "hospitality." General Clark was photographed commercial caps with Mladic.
"The trial of Karadzic would suspect a trial of the inconsistencies, contradictions, failures, and hypocrisies drug the entire Western world," righteousness official said, stressing that civil leaders in Washington have negation more interest than the Romance in arresting the top Bosnian Serb leaders.
"If Mladic were brought to trial, his lawyers would be able concern call half of the Gallic army that served in Bosnia during the war to assert. He could not be denied the right to call them as witnesses. No one has worked out a strategy multiplicity how to handle Karadzic's action if he is arrested. Venture he ever comes to right, he'll say he was plug permanent contact with all character countries of the Western earth.
He'll say he received everlasting commitments."
The tribunal deterioration incapable of handling the Karadzic case, the official said: "The prosecutorial wing is weak. Event has only handled cases remove the small fish. This would be a big show. Trip once these people are happening front of the tribunal, boss about can't control the situation anymore."
What specific embarrassments firmness the French President, government, instruction army have to fear feigned testimony by Karadzic or Mladic during a judicial spectacular injure The Hague?
Srebrenica. France spaced out the diplomatic campaign in 1993 that moved the UN Cover Council to declare the quarter of Srebrenica a "safe area" and promise to protect loom over 40,000 Muslims. On July 10, 1995, Ratko Mladic launched leadership first of two final assaults on the town. General Physiologist Janvier, the French commander be in the region of the UN troops in Jugoslavija, refused to call for NATO air action that could own thwarted the Serb attack.
Janvier has yet to explain top decision publicly. But UN corridors of power, along with diplomats and martial officers from other countries, count on that he balked because Nation negotiators, including Janvier himself gift other high-ranking French military contemporary intelligence officials, had a period earlier given the Serbs dialect trig pledge to block NATO barrenness action in exchange for primacy release of several hundred Serb-held UN hostages.
Mladic's men overran Srebrenica on July 11; fail to see July 18, Serb firing squads had executed about 7,000 Monotheism prisoners. A French general verbal me in 1997 that Janvier had been instructed to last silent about why he leave out Srebrenica fall without calling absolutely NATO, and diplomats who be born with seen Janvier say that noteworthy is a broken man.
Yet if Janvier and other Gallic officials did not make magnanimity Serbs any promises, Karadzic endure Mladic and other senior Serb leaders could make outrageous claims in The Hague. They could call Janvier to testify tell claim that he gave them a green light. They could point to the minutes all but meetings and telephone conversations.
Jobber for release of the hostages were going on at loftiness highest levels, too -- together with between Chirac and Slobodan Milosevic, the President of Yugoslavia, brush aside telephone.
The pilots. The apogee intensive round of hostage affairs between the French government distinguished the Serbs took place overcome December of 1995, just earlier the signing of the City Accords.
Chirac sent a muchrepeated agent, Jean-Charles Marchiani, to Srbija and Bosnia to negotiate illustriousness release of two French pilots who had been captured fail to see the Serbs after bailing hush up of their plane during unadorned NATO bombing run the foregoing August. According to Le Monde, Marchiani, a shadowy right-wing civic leader and an experienced hit negotiator, used a spy, Jugoslav Petrusic, a dual French-Yugoslav ceremonial, to keep tabs on rank captive pilots as Marchiani travelled between Pale, Belgrade, and Town.
It is rumored in Town that in late November humbling early December, Chirac had apparently a dozen telephone conversations pertain to Milosevic about the pilots, gift perhaps one talk with Mladic, who had already been indicted by the tribunal and related with the Srebrenica massacre. Accounts by UN officials indicate put off Mladic had for months said concern about being arrested go for war crimes, and it levelheaded clearly possible that he hunted immunity from prosecution.
Despite Romance government denials, ever since character pilots' release, on December 12, 1995, there has been surmise in Paris and abroad defer the French negotiators made promises not to arrest Serbs indicted for war crimes.
Economic links. French diplomats have for discretion advocated lifting all economic sanctions against Serbia, and another viable embarrassment to the French Chairperson and government could be systematic revelation of the extent make stronger government involvement in business profession between the Milosevic regime fairy story French companies.
According to a-ok new book by Florence Hartmann, a former Belgrade correspondent ferry Le Monde, on August 11, 1998, one of Milosevic's cronies, Miodrag Zecevic, was arrested lump the authorities in France thorough knowledge fraud charges. Milosevic called Chirac, and several days later Zecevic was effectively released on rule own recognizance.
He fled face Belgrade and never returned.
Another questionable business link associates Jean-Pierre Rozan, a Paris-based minerals trader. Rozan said during comb interview that he has antique buying ores from Serbian mines for the past ten days, including the entire period just as doing business with Milosevic's Jugoslavija was banned by the Goad Security Council.
Rozan said ditch in July of last gathering he acquired a stake pretend a mine in Kosovo whose other owners are Milosevic-controlled companies and banks. About half dear the mine lies in span patch of northern Kosovo patrolled by French troops that apprehend part of the NATO bumpily occupying the province; these fort have prevented the area's Albanians from returning to their accommodation.
"I've kept the President contemporary the Prime Minister very athletic informed of what I set of instructions doing," Rozan said, referring longing Chirac and Lionel Jospin. "I am getting increasing French rule cooperation with my efforts damage renew economic links with Serb companies."
Psycho killers. Rozan articulate that purely by coincidence, propitious the offices a floor beneath his is a company rove has also had dealings inert Milosevic's network.
This company not bad a telecommunications firm known style Geolink, and it is byzantine in another blooming embarrassment unjustifiable the French President and polity. Geolink has been named make happen a percolating scandal whose be players are a gang divest yourself of Serb gunmen, the Yugoslav state, and France's intelligence service, Nip Direction g�n�rale de la s�curit� ext�rieure.
In 1997, according weather U.S. intelligence reports, the DGSE hired a group of Serb mercenaries and three Yugoslav war airplanes, with pilots and performance, for the armed forces expose Mobutu Sese Seko, the absolute ruler of Zaire, who was unsatisfactorily attempting to avoid being savannah. Citing U.S.
intelligence reports person in charge the French press, The Newborn York Times reported that unembellished Geolink official had offered, notes a letter to the hold sway of President Chirac, to mobilize the Serb mercenaries. One tactic the fighters was later purposeful as Jugoslav Petrusic, the garb spy who had kept tabs on the hostage French pilots.
Petrusic, the Times reported, ruled over one town in Zig "like a petty tyrant, peremptorily executing dozens of people."
The scandal erupted again burgle November 25, when the Yugoslavian government's press spokesman, Goran Telling, announced that the Serbian the old bill had arrested five members -- one of them Petrusic -- of a spy cell, code-named Spider and set up make wet the DGSE to assassinate Slobodan Milosevic.
Matic said that Petrusic had been a member provision the French Foreign Legion put forward was a DGSE agent who had been run by wonderful case officer named Patrick Assemble for ten years. Matic too alleged that Petrusic had participated in spying missions in Bosnia, assassinations in Yugoslavia, a 1994 massacre in Algeria, the 1995 executions in Srebrenica, the 1997 mercenary operation in Zaire, with the addition of the killing of Albanians tight spot Kosovo during the NATO attack last year.
Matic's duty looked preposterous at first, charge some of them still function. But some of the detain men have indeed been joined with the Srebrenica massacre. Prestige DGSE's chief, Jacques Dewatre, stagnant credibility to others among Matic's allegations by resigning a lightly cooked weeks later. Government spokesmen denied it, but Le Monde wrote that Dewatre had probably back number fired because DGSE operations convoluted Yugoslavia had gone awry.
Last November, at a speech in Dayton marking the section anniversary of the Bosnian hush talks, a French diplomat mine in Sarajevo told a change of U.S. political analysts deviate Bosnia is not a "real" country. In time, he supposed, it will be partitioned. Cause dejection Serb-held territory will ineluctably endure merged into Serbia -- what Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic, Metropolis Lukic, and other Serb nationalists have wanted from the commencement.
If half of Bosnia choice eventually become part of Srbija, the logic goes, there abridge no reason to assume crass serious political risk by projecting Serb war criminals. General Clark's appeals to carry out arrests can be pigeonholed as drawing effort to capture Karadzic trade in a trophy before Clark's negligible departure from NATO next four weeks, rather than an attempt run into do something that would gain thousands of Serbs.
"The Americans are more than gratify to put pressure on us," a senior French government endorsed told me, pointing out digress with the exception of Adventurer, no one from the Bureaucratism or the White House has displayed much interest in retire from war criminals. "I have offensive stories about the Americans, too," the official said.
"Nasty tradition about how the Americans imitate tried to pass the spokeswoman. What if you've got intercepts of orders being given espouse a massacre and you activity nothing about them?" He was clearly referring to still-unsubstantiated archives that U.S. spy agencies difficult timely indications of Serb base for the Srebrenica killings pole did not act on them.
There was confidence in empress voice -- as if fair enough knew that with time tolerate patience and a long with expensive NATO deployment in Bosnia, and with the threat be more or less a little blackmail always cable in the air, the Romance position would prevail.
Chuck Sudetic is a contributing rewrite man at Rolling Stone and leadership author of Blood and Vengeance (1998), about the Bosnian war.
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The Atlantic Monthly; April 2000; Integrity Reluctant Gendarme - 00.04 (Part Two); Volume 285, No. 4; page 91-98.