Yugoslav Election Results (Sep 26, 2000)

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TiM GW Bulletin 2000/9-8

Sep. 26, 2000

First Official Yugoslav Election Results

Kostunica Leads Milosevic by Eight Points

But Milosevic Will Control Parliament, Senate ; TiM Poll Shows Kostunica with Bigger Lead; Lord Owen Says Milosevic Should Be Sent to China as Yugoslav Ambassador; Kostunica Only “Transitional” Leader for Western Masters? Ominous U.S./Croatian/British War Games in the Adriatic

Belgrade 9. Ominous U.S./Croatian/British War Games in the AdriaticSeptember 27, 2000

Moscow 10. Russia Warns NATO against Intervention in YugoslaviaSeptember 27, 2000

BELGRADE, Sept. 26 - Amid mutual accusations of cheating by both the Yugoslav regime and the Serb opposition candidates, the Yugoslav Electoral Commission has just announced its first results of the Sept. 24 elections. According to this official source, after 5,036,478 votes were counted from 10,153 polling stations, or 64% of the 7.8 million eligible voters, the western-backed Serb opposition candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, is leading Slobodan Milosevic by 48% to 40% in the presidential race.

Which means that if the percentages do not change substantially until all votes are counted the final results released by Thursday night, the second round of presidential elections on Oct. 8 will be required in which just Kostunica and Milosevic will face off.

But regardless of the final outcome of either the first or the second round, if Kostunica emerges as the ultimate winner, he will be a lame president at best. Not only because the West will be pulling his strings, but because Milosevic’s Socialist Party and his coalition partners seem to have secured control of both the Yugoslav Senate and the Parliament.

Here are the detailed results of the presidential elections just released by the Yugoslav Electoral Commission:

- SNP: 28 seats (Bulatovic’s Montenegro party, Milosevic’s coalition partner)

- 2 seats will be shared between the SPO, DZVM or SSJ parties, depending on final results.

Interestingly, such an outcome and a hamstrung presidency was evidently predictable. A.V. a TiM reader from California who requested anonymity, sent us the following prediction on Sep. 23, the day BEFORE the vote was taken:

“After carefully reading the polling data (the ones bandied about by the War Party do not take into account Kosovo & Montenegro some 15-25% of the electorate, plus 30% of voters were undecided as of last Monday), at grave risk to my future credibility, I've stuck my neck out and arrived at the following predictions:

Basically, Djukanovic boycotting the election has totally screwed the opposition. Fully 1/3 of Milosevic's Parliament seats will come from Montenegro. If the opposition had made a serious effort in Montenegro things would be different. There is a very real possibility that the Socialists will be able to capture a real majority in Parliament. (There is no question that they will have a strong majority in the Senate).

The net result is that even if Kostunica wins the Presidency in the second round, Yugoslav politics will not fundamentally change. As everyone knows the Yugoslav President has very limited powers, it is Parliament and the Prime Minister which call the shots.

Perhaps this is why the War Party is actively promoting civil war within Yugoslavia. They realize it is the only way to take over.”

TiM Ed.: The only thing one can say to the above A.V. prediction is - well done! The author’s future credibility has been actually enhanced with it. By the way, by the “War Party,” A.V. is referring here to the NATO/NWO leaders.

PHOENIX, Sept. 26 - The TiM’s own poll, which we opened on the Yugoslav election day, gives Vojislav Kostunica a bigger lead over Slobodan Milosevic (53% to 33%). The question that the 320 respondents had answered was:

33% Milosevic

53% Kostunica

6% Nikolic

6% Mihailovic

2% None of the above

2% I do not vote in a demo farce

Given mutual accusations of electoral fraud in Yugoslav elections, who do you believe?

Kostunica and his Serb opposition partners

Milosevic and his coalition partners

Western leaders

None of the above. They all lie and cheat.

To cast your vote, just go to the TiM web site (http://www.truthinmedia.org) and click on the Yugoslav flag poll in the right-hand frame.

Owen Also Implies Bosnian Serb Republic Should Be Merged with Yugoslavia as Compensation for Serbia’s Loss of Kosovo

NEW YORK, Sep. 26 - Lord David Owen, a former British government official who acted as a mediator during the Bosnian war (remember the Vance-Owen and Owen-Stoltenberg peace plans in 1992-1993?) said in a today’s Wall Street Journal OpEd article, “Yugoslavia After Milosevic,” that “the West should have enough common sense not to push him (Vojislav Kostunica)” on the point of Slobodan Milosevic’s extradition to the Hague War Crimes Tribunal. Owen suggested that, “perhaps the best solution would be for Milosevic to be sent as Ambassador to the Yugoslav Embassy in Beijing.” “China would not object,” he opined.

Owen also said that Gen. Nebojsa Pavkovic, who was also indicted last year by the Hague UN court for war crimes, should be “spared an international trial,” as his or Gen. Ratko Mladic’s extradition would be “deeply unpopular with the army.”

Owen proposed that the Serbs be offered “territorial compensation for the loss of Kosovo.” Which means “looking at the wider Balkans context at the international borders that have not won acceptance,” he said.

In plain English, what Owen seems to be suggesting is that the Bosnian Serb Republic, or a part of it, should be merged with Yugoslavia.

FLORIDA, Sep. 26 - We received the following commentary about the Yugoslav elections from Mladen Vranjican of Florida:

“As Russia criticizes Washington for meddling in Yugoslavia's internal affairs, Britain's Robert Cook repeats his "warnings" to Milosevic not to hold on to power, and NATO armada approaches the Adriatic.

NATO is thumbing its nose at Vladimir Putin's Russia as it did to Yeltsin's, knowing that -- for domestic consumption -- Russia will yell a lot, but probably won't do anything as NATO swallows the only remaining Russian strategically important country right in front of their eyes. Russia has no friends left, other than Belarus which has no strategic importance whatsoever and cannot block NATO's “Drang nach Osten,” as Yugoslavia could. This may be the sign of real true weakness that Russia is, unable to do anything as the wolves slowly surround the sickly bear.

In the meantime, Vojislav Kostunica comes out lashing against former Soviet bloc states which have become vassals to the West and pledges that Yugoslavia must not become one. He also repeated his criticism of Washinton's meddling in internal affairs, NATO bombings of Bosnia and Serbia, etc.

What a fool that man is! Who is listening? Not his coalition partners for sure. Certainly, Rashka's (Sandzak) Muslims who supported him, couldn't applaud his criticism of the 1995 NATO bombing of Bosnian Serbs.

And, as predicted, Kostunica has been "upgraded" by the Western sources from a "moderate nationalist" to an "extreme nationalist," in PREPARATION for his removal and installation of a pro-Western quisling government in Belgrade. Here is a quote from antiwar.com article from this morning:

"(Vojislav) Kostunica is only good as a transitional, short-term solution", said an adviser to Alija Izetbegovic, the Muslim chairman of Bosnia's three-man inter-ethnic presidency.

"The only reason why the West supports him is becuse he is the only real opposition to (Yugoslav President Slobodan) Milosevic," adviser Mirza Hajric said.

Voila! He is good only as a TRANSITIONAL, short-term solution... In other words, he is a decoy for naive and stupid Serbs. But not for his alliance partners. Remember that the DOS is made up of groupings which may not even be Serbian. Serbia is only 2/3 Serbian by nationality, and -- as was the case in Montenegro -- an unholy alliance of Serb enemies, a fifth column, is not interested in saving Serbia for the Serbs.

It looks like Kostunica's coalition slogan "Gotov je" (He’s finished”) soon may befall poor Vojislav as well.”

WASHINGTON, Sep. 25 - For nine years, the Serb democratic opposition received next to nothing by way of financial aid from Washington. Then as we revealed last week, they were funded to the tune of $77 million. Now that figure has jumped up to $500 million, according to a Sep. 25 Reuters report.

In a move meant to put more pressure on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic after Western nations declared him beaten at the polls, the House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday passed by a two-thirds majority in a voice vote authorizing $500 million in financial aid for Serbian opposition groups, the Reuters wire said.

Although the outcome of Sunday's Yugoslav elections will not be announced until later this week, the United States, Britain, Germany, France and other members of the European Union all declared on Monday that Milosevic had lost to main opposition challenger Vojislav Kostunica.

6. Contradicting Western Leaders, International Observers Say Elections Were “Free and Fair”

BELGRADE, Sep. 26 - Contradicting western leaders, a group of 210 international observers from 54 countries has issued a statement in which it says the Yugoslav elections were generally “free and fair.” Here are excerpts from a press release we have just received from Belgrade:

“The 210 international observers from 54 countries who have come to Yugoslavia to monitor the elections, have among them current and former parliamentarians, representatives from political parties and organizations, as well as scholars, journalists and activists. They have been able to view the electoral activities from rallies to the actual voting on September 24 and many have taken the opportunity meet with the leaders of various political parties and the different presidential campaigns.

The observers feel strongly that they have had free, unobstructed access to the relevant activities, and particularly to the voting at the 24 when observers visited polling stations in different parts of Yugoslavia, including Montenegro and Kosovo.

In Montenegro, the 20 foreign observers witnessed an overall atmosphere of intimidation of the voters, originating from the government of Mr. Milo Djukanovic which is boycotting the elections. Everywhere there were huge billboards telling people not to vote. These had the appearances of threats: "Don't vote or else..."

Some of those who did vote, told the observers that they felt voting was risky for them, and could lead to the loss of jobs and other forms of harassment, as the polling stations were watched by the police and cameras not belonging to the media were pointed at the citizens coming to vote.

In one poll, Serbian refugees from Kosovo told the observers that hundreds of them had been left off the voters' lists, although they had the necessary documentation to be able to vote. (This situation was brought to the attention of the Montenegrin Electoral Commission and a more detailed report will be forwarded to the Federal Electoral Commission of Yugoslavia.)

The observers note that the voting process overall was orderly and smooth although it involved three separate ballots with multiple choices. The voting process, in the opinion of many, was equal or superior to the ones in their own countries.

The observers feel strongly that the so-called "international community" has been abusive of Yugoslavia and democratic principles, in declaring weeks ahead that the election will be "rigged," and heaping constant abuse at the authorities in Yugoslavia who are trying to carry out a complicated, multi-level election in stressful conditions. This abuse has continued after the election, with leaders of Western countries declaring only a few hours after the election that Mr. Vojislav Kostunica had won, as if they would have had privileged access to the voting results!

The observers leave Yugoslavia with a heightened respect for the integrity of the political process in the country. From what we have seen and heard, we believe that the results will truly reflect the will and the wishes of the people of Yugoslavia.”

MOSCOW, Sep. 26 - No sooner did we publish the Item 4 of the subject TiM Bulletin - a Florida TiM reader’s reaction to the Yugoslav elections - we received the following “correction” from a Russian TiM reader, a former officer in the Russian armed forces, who occasionally advises the TiM editor on military matters. Since this reader has requested anonymity in his contributions, we shall identify him only as ”A.M.”:

“I have read with a great interest your latest TiM GW Bulletin. And I have to say, although my heart bleeds for Serbia, opinions re: the "strategic insignificance" of Belarus to Russia, as expressed by your Florida reader, are nothing short of preposterous. In this case, let’s roll over the Russians, and make them scapegoats.

Now, for this reader information, according to a Russian Academician Volkov of the Moscow Institute of Slavic Studies, by 1999 the real output of Belarus in the real sector of economy (TiM Ed.: meaning state-owned military-industrial complex inaccessible to the West for national security reasons), was approaching 70% of that of Russia.

I wish to remind this reader that among the former Soviet Republics, Belarus was and is the most developed industrial nation, whose core industrial potential was preserved.

It should suffice to mention that Belarus still produces the world class MiG-31 interceptors, the AD complexes, mobile artillery systems, tanks etc., apart from the fact that this nation was always an anchor of the Soviet computer development. The list of that may continue for a long time.

More importantly, unlike Russia, Belarus continues to produce all that even today, starting from famous tractors and heavy trucks, and finishing with sophisticated optical-electronic systems. Also, just take a look at newly-created Russo-Byelorussian mammoth "Defensive Systems. I wonder where those products of this concern may end up - the Balkans, for example, may seem as a proper destination?

In short, Belarus’ entry into a Union with Russia will INCREASE Russia’s geo-strategic potential by at least a half. So much for its strategic insignificance.”

ILLINOIS, Sep. 24 - We received the following comment from a TiM reader in Illinois:

“Dear Bob, I admire your relentless fight for THE TRUTH in the real sense of the word. Keep doing the God's work. God bless you and your family.

Srbija je vecna dok su joj deca verna! (Serbia is eternal as long as her children are loyal!).”

BELGRADE, Sep. 27 - Hours before a crowd of some 200,000 people in downtown Belgrade celebrated what they thought was a Serb opposition victory in the September 24 elections, the U.S. and Croatian forces staged ominous war games in the Adriatic. Working together side-by-side, U.S. and Croatian troops launched a joint assault on an Adriatic island on Tuesday in war games that were supposed to simulate an eventual NATO assault on Yugoslavia’s Montenegrin coast.

The military exercises coincided with the western leaders’ warnings to the Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, that he may be risking another NATO intervention unless he agreed to yield power to the Serb opposition leader, Vojislav Kostunica. Britain’s foreign secretary, Robin Cook, for example, warned Milosevic against using force to try to stay in power, saying Western powers had a "very substantial capacity in the region."

Britain has 15 warships in the Mediterranean operating in two distinct flotillas, manned by 5,000 sailors, Royal Marines and aircrew, according to the British Defense Ministry. They include the aircraft carrier Invincible, which carries Harrier jump-jet fighters, the destroyer HMS Liverpool, helicopter assault ship HMS Ocean, the amphibious assault ship HMS Fearless and 10 more ships including minesweepers, a tanker, a store ship and Northumberland, a type-23 frigate, according to a Sep. 26 Reuters’ report.

Romania and Bulgaria, which border Yugoslavia to the northeast and east, are also said to be planning a joint exercise at the Romanian Danube port of Turnu Magurele on September 28. The drill will include construction of a pontoon bridge across the Danube, and evacuation of the local population.

The Adriatic maneuvers in Croatian waters include 400 U.S. soldiers and 200 Marines. Croatia is a member of NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” (read “Drang Nach Osten”) program, and is seeking full membership of the alliance.

A Reuters photographer on the helicopter ship USS Austin said the exercise near the picturesque island of Zirje, just off the Adriatic city of Sibenik, began with a joint amphibious landing of U.S. marines in speedboats and Croatian troops in helicopters. The landing force captured the island, supported by Croatian MiG-21 fighters, helicopters, a missile boat and two U.S. A-10 planes, known as "tank busters."

Croatian general, Damir Krsticevic, said Croatian troops could also be used in any action staged by NATO, "if we get approval from the president, parliament and all relevant institutions."

TiM Ed.: Meaning the mean Madam Halfbright and her boss. Now that’s just what the Serb voters needed to hear - that the western “democracy” may be ushered into Serbia via an invasion staged not just by American, British and other NATO troops, but also by their Croatian partners in crime!

The West could not have supported Milosevic with a more strident message. It sure sounds as if NATO is itching to continue to kill any other Serb but Milosevic, whom they need as a perpetual, ever-moving target.

Meanwhile, the souls of 700,000+ Serbs massacred at the Croatian Nazi-era death camps may have to rise up and defend Belgrade from the upcoming Coca-Cola and McDonald’s invasion. For, hundreds of thousands of Belgrade burgers seem ready to become the “NATO burgers” - the latest enhancement to McDonald’s fast food menus in the post-Milosevic Yugoslavia.

About which, of course, neither Kostunica, nor Zoran Djindjic, nor Milo Djukanovic, nor Vuk Draskovic, told them anything. And no wonder. Can't you just see a headline, "Serb Opposition Leader Rises to Power Backed by NATO, Croatian Troops." It will be interesting to see how Kostunica, a constitutional lawyer, would reconcile participation of Croatian troops in the “liberation” of Yugoslavia with his notion of "bringing Serbia into Europe."

MOSCOW, Sep. 27 - Russia warned Wednesday against any international intervention in Yugoslavia, as western leaders harshly criticized President Slobodan Milosevic for clinging to power after an apparent election loss.

Many international observers say Milosevic lost outright to challenger Vojislav Kostunica, but Milosevic has defied calls to step down. The country's central elections commission says a run-off is necessary because Kostunica got just under 50 percent - a result being widely questioned abroad.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned against other countries taking any action. Russia “stands firmly for the peoples of Yugoslavia to have full freedom to express their will without internal or external pressure,” Ivanov said.

“It is important not to allow destabilization of the situation, which would play into the hands only of those powers that are not interested in preserving a single Yugoslavia and restoring its place in the world arena," he said.

Russia vehemently opposed the NATO-led bombing campaign against Yugoslavia last year, and has shown signs of trying to distance itself from Milosevic in recent months. Ivanov's use of the phrase “express their will” echoed phrases by foreign leaders who claim Milosevic is thwarting a clear Serb opposition victory.

German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, said Russia should use its traditional friendship with Serbia, which along with Montenegro makes up Yugoslavia, to work for a solution. “Milosevic has lost, the opposition has won,” Fischer said. “Russia plays a very important role here because of its traditional closeness to Serbia. We expect our Russian partners as well to become actively engaged here.”

Meanwhile, Turkey's Defense Minister, Sabhattin Cakmakoglu, said Wednesday that “NATO will intervene if there is a crisis'' in Yugoslavia.

TiM Ed.: Way to encourage the Belgrade McDonald’s burgers! First by a U.S.-Croatian invasion, and now by a promised return of the Ottoman Empire to Serbia.

11. TiM Poll Shows Readers Believe Kostunica More Than MilosevicSeptember 28, 2000

PHOENIX, Sep. 28 - The TiM readers evidently think that Vojislav Kostunica’s claims about the Yugoslav election results are more credible than Slobodan Milosevic’s, according to the results of our latest poll.

But perhaps the most emphatic statement that the latest TiM poll has made was that not a single respondent ticked off the box that said they believed the “Western leaders.” Which is more than a bit of a dichotomy, given that they and Kostunica are singing the same tune.

Q: Given mutual accusations of electoral fraud in Yugoslav elections, who do you believe?

(315 respondents)

65% Kostunica and his opposition partners

24% Milosevic and his coalition partners

0% Western leaders

10% None of the above. They all lie, cheat.

Just keep in mind that the results of any on-line poll depend on the integrity of respondents. Which is why we ask you NOT to vote more than once. Let’s leave the cheating to the New World Order pollsters. Thank you.