MILOSEVIC, Slobodan (Milosevic Slobodan)

(p. 1941)

Born in Pozarevac in Serbia, August 29, 1941. He studied law at Belgrade University, was an activist of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. He was also director of oil and gas company and president of a major bank in Belgrade. Tie into the Ivan Stambolic. In early 1987 in the Serbian region of Kosovo conflict flared between ethnic Albanians and Serbs. Milosevic accused the Albanian majority in the persecution of Serbs, . becoming the head of the nationalist forces in Serbia, to December 1987 he managed to shift Stambolic, . moderates, . from his post as chairman and president of the League of Communists of Serbia (in August 2000, Stambolic disappeared in a Belgrade park),
. In May 1989, Milosevic was elected president of Serbia and in fact the leader of the federation. After leaving the federation of Croatia and Slovenia, and Macedonia and then Milosevic ordered federal forces and the Serb police to take control of some areas of Croatia inhabited mostly by Serbs, which led to war.

The idea of Great Serbia, Milosevic also implied the conquest of land in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and by the summer 1992 war broke out also in this region. Serb forces, backed by the Milosevic government deprived the homes of hundreds of thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats, several thousand people were killed and thousands more placed in concentration camps. This policy was called 'ethnic cleansing'.

Since 1993, Milosevic began to deny his involvement in the activities of units of the Bosnian Serbs, though his government continued to supply the rebels with arms. In late 1995, Milosevic agreed to the conditions proposed by the United States and had to end the conflict, and completely dropped support for the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic.

In 1992, Milosevic was reelected as Serbian president in an election that many observers considered adulterated. In November 1996 the country started large-scale disturbances caused by the removal of Milosevic, the results of local elections, won by the opposition. In February 1997, Milosevic was forced to accept the results of local elections.

Since the second and final term as President Milosevic ends in July 1997, he was able to take the parliament established the post of President of Yugoslavia. In February 1998, Milosevic launched a military campaign against the Kosovo Liberation Army, the guerrilla forces of ethnic Albanians, who had aimed to establish the independence of. In October 1998, NATO warned the beginning of the bombing of Serbia in the case of Kosovo will not be withdrawn troops. This issue was raised again in January 1999. At the request of the United States, Russia and several European countries, the warring parties to the negotiating table in February 1999. After Milosevic did not accept the terms of the contract, under which Kosovo given autonomy and it hosted the UN peacekeeping force, NATO forces launched a massive aerial bombardment of Yugoslavia. NATO leaders have accused Serbia of trying to 'ethnic cleansing' in Kosovo, which resulted in thousands of ethnic Albanians were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced from their homes and flee to neighboring countries and region. International War Crimes Tribunal in May 1999, accused Milosevic and four of his aides to 'crimes against humanity'. The Tribunal declared that Milosevic as Yugoslav president is responsible for the killings and forced deportation of ethnic Albanians.

June 9, 1999 Milosevic and the Serbian parliament had signed the cease-fire, withdrawal of Serb forces from Kosovo and entry of international forces there to maintain peace and security of refugee Albanians returning to Kosovo. In addition, the agreement specifies a considerable degree of autonomy of. After signing the bombing of Yugoslavia ceased.

A coalition of 15 opposition parties in August 2000, elected Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, head of a small center-right Democratic Party of Serbia, a candidate for presidential elections to be held on September 24, 2000. In the election of Kostunica received 48.22% of the vote, and Milosevic - 40,23%. Federal Election Commission announced a new round, because Kostunica failed to score a convincing majority. Opposition leaders have challenged the election results and said that by their calculations Kostunica received 55%. 25 September Kostunica declare victory, and on 27 September in Belgrade was the 200 thousandth demonstration against Milosevic. Electoral Commission withdrew its decision and decided that the final election results - 48.96% for Kostunica and 38.62% for Milosevic.

October 5, 2000 Kostunica declared himself president, and on the same day, government institutions in Belgrade, including police, went over to his side. After the decision of the Constitutional Court on Oct. 6 about the victory of Kostunica, Milosevic has formally resigned as president of Yugoslavia.

At the end of June 2001 Milosevic was extradited to the Hague international court on charges of crimes against humanity.