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[2 uordz - if stavrogin believes he does not think he believes. if he does not believe he does not think he does not believe. ost.europa - z!mpl!.SUPERIOR >Every succesful Balkan male over 40 suffers from high blood >pressure and some sort of a heart problem, including my dad and, >evidently, Slobodan Milosevic. I believe that high collesterol levels >were assumed to be a status symbol in former Yugoslavia, and >that men clogged their arteries with lard in an attempt to raise their >sex appeal gently growing their beer/wine bellies as a sign of >prestige. Also, it is expected from a man to have short temper, >which again, contributes to the risk of heart disease. And they are >stubborn: they'd rather die than give up their habit. > >Seriously. Doctors told my dad that he was at risk of heart attack >20 years ago and that he should change diet, give up alcohol, live >less stressfully. He did not change anything, and he still lives and >he is still at risk of heart attack, and fortunately he is on the good >side of statistics (his diastolic pressure hasn't been under 100 for >the past 20 years). If Milosevic is of the same stock, he may live >longer than all the judges at ICTY despite whiskey, roasted lamb >and Cuban cigars. > >I didn't know that roasted lamb was Slobo's favorite dish. But I >should have expected. After all, in every culture status is >connected with a certain way of life, certain clothes, certain foods, >drinks, sports, etc. Like here in the US, rich and socially >upscalish, play golf - in former Yugoslavia they played tennis (note >that Tudjman was an avid tennis player). What do they eat here? >Lobster? I guess, there are too many options in the U.S. In former >Yugoslavia there was roasted lamb. > >Roasted lamb unites all post-Yugoslav countries: it is devoured by >upstanding Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims alike. Croats and >Serbs also eat roasted pork, but the status of pork is clearly below >lamb (and that is also reflected in price). Roasted lamb is also my >father's favorite dish. I ate so much roasted lamb when I was a kid >that I am now sick even thinking of it. If anyone is interested, I can >give you a list of top restaurants in Zagreb, where you can get the >best roasted lamb (also the best time to go is March...), and the >mention of the last name that I share with my dad, will make head >waiters be very responsive to you. > >Lamb also needs to be bathed in copious quantities of white whine >(my dad's favorite: Grasevina from Kutjevo wineries). All in all I >remember my old man being able to eat a pound of lamb and drink >a quart of 'grasevina' - of course, that main dish was always >preceded with cevapcici and other (meat again) smaller dishes, >while we waited for the lamb to roast. Dishes without meat in >former Yugoslavia were not considered meals. I doubt Milosevic will >die. But maybe ICTY can enforce a healthier diet on him, that >doctors in Zagreb can't do with my dad. > >ivo > >ps - on Holbroke's drink: pear brandy is higher up on status ladder >than plum brandy; every schmuck drinks plum brandy; of course >Milosevic got his US friend drunk on the best available brandy >around.... > >date sent: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 10:12:55 -0400 >send reply to: Thomas Keenan <keenan@bard.edu> >from: Thomas Keenan <keenan@bard.edu> >subject: Milosevic Ill; Genocide Trial Is Cast in Doubt >to: JUSTWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU > >Cross-posting of commentary only permitted > >Reports from the New York Times, Washington Post, and BBC on Milosevic's >health. Marlise Simons in the Times suggests, not (as the headline puts >it) that the trial is 'in doubt,' but that the medical findings are >"almost certain to change the pace and the shape of his war crimes trial." > > The witnesses from Mr. Milosevic's government have been a boon for > the prosecution, with policemen and soldiers who were on active > duty during the war giving sometimes shocking details about > atrocities against ethnic Albanians. > > But the mood among prosecutors and observers anxious to see Mr. > Milosevic brought to justice has been far from upbeat. Rather, > the confirmation of Mr. Milosevic's ill health has caused alarm. > While it is not being said out loud, there is deep concern among > court officials about the repercussions if Mr. Milosevic could no > longer appear in court or suffered a heart attack. > >For amusement, I have also included the BBC's special report on >Millosevic's eating and drinking habits, "Milosevic the bon viveur." > >Thomas Keenan >Human Rights Project >Bard College >========================================================================= > >http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/26/international/europe/26MILO.html > >Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company >Friday, July 26, 2002; A1 > >Milosevic Ill; Genocide Trial Is Cast in Doubt >By MARLISE SIMONS > >THE HAGUE, July 25 - The former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, >suffers from severe heart disease and dangerously high blood pressure, and >needs medical treatment and less work in court, the United Nations war >crimes tribunal announced today. > >The finding that Mr. Milosevic runs a serious risk of a heart attack is >almost certain to change the pace and the shape of his war crimes trial, >the most important such prosecution since Nazi and Japanese commanders >were tried after World War II. The trial opened five months ago and, even >at the current rate, could last three years. > >Mr. Milosevic, who is 60, is conducting his own defense in the >proceedings, which began with charges involving the war he waged against >Kosovo Albanians in 1998 and 1999. He is charged with genocide committed >during the war in Bosnia, and it now seems it could be many months before >he answers that accusation. > >During his 13 years in power, Mr. Milosevic led the Serbs through four >wars - in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo - that killed more than >200,000 people and drove more than a million from their homes. > >The report of serious health problems came as the trial entered a >fascinating new phase, with key members of the former Milosevic government >- including the chief of the secret police - testifying about the inner >workings of the secretive regime as it repressed Albanians in Kosovo in >1998 and 1999. > >Trial judges had ordered a thorough medical checkup of Mr. Milosevic >after he fell ill for the second time in June. They suspended proceedings >for a third time a week ago, when Mr. Milosevic's already high blood >pressure rose sharply. > >The presiding judge, Richard May, said today that the medical report >described Mr. Milosevic "as a man with severe cardiovascular risk which >demands careful future monitoring." He said it recommended treatment by a >heart specialist and a reduction in Mr. Milosevic's workload. Judge May >said the court was ordering such treatment and would then decide how to >proceed. > >Today Mr. Milosevic's former secret police chief, Rade Markovic, appeared >as a witness for the prosecution. Mr. Markovic was transferred here from >his prison cell in Belgrade, where he is being held on charges of >murdering political opponents, and he is seen as a close Milosevic ally >who may shed light on how atrocities in Kosovo were covered up. > >Mr. Markovic, who ran the secret police for the last two years of Mr. >Milosevic's rule, told the court that Interior Ministry and military >officials reported in detail to Mr. Milosevic each day on their >activities. > >The witnesses from Mr. Milosevic's government have been a boon for the >prosecution, with policemen and soldiers who were on active duty during >the war giving sometimes shocking details about atrocities against ethnic >Albanians. > >But the mood among prosecutors and observers anxious to see Mr. Milosevic >brought to justice has been far from upbeat. Rather, the confirmation of >Mr. Milosevic's ill health has caused alarm. While it is not being said >out loud, there is deep concern among court officials about the >repercussions if Mr. Milosevic could no longer appear in court or suffered >a heart attack. > >Lawyers who work with Mr. Milosevic said his heart condition is not new. >He has been hospitalized in Yugoslavia in the past for heart trouble and >he was also taking medicine for high blood pressure while in detention in >Belgrade before his arrival in The Hague just over a year ago, the lawyers >said. > >"In Belgrade and here, he always says he is fine," said one lawyer, Zdenko >Tomanovic, who sees Mr. Milosevic almost every day. "He takes medicine but >he never complains and never wants extra care." > >The medical report ordered by the court was prepared by two Dutch doctors >from outside the prison who examined Mr. Milosevic. A Serbian >cardiologist from the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade who had treated >Mr. Milosevic before and who had come to The Hague at his request was >present during the examination. > >At today's hearing, the judges did not disclose any details from the >report, but a lawyer who had seen it said Mr. Milosevic has a severe >problem in his left artery and damage to the heart. > >"This, together with the high blood pressure, puts him at high risk for a >heart attack," the lawyer said, referring to the report. He said the >doctors felt that the physical stress of the Yugoslav's illness and the >stress of the trial have depressed his immune system, which has made him >more prone to infections. Mr. Milosevic has had two long bouts of flu with >high fever this year. > >Mr. Milosevic's systolic blood pressure is about 200, though last week it >suddenly rose above 240 and hearings were suspended for two days, the >lawyer said. A reading of 140 to 160 would be normal. > >The task he has undertaken, conducting his own defense, is enormous by any >standards. He has insisted on cross-examining every witness, and there >have been 100 so far. > >Mr. Milosevic, who often looks unwell, interrogates witnesses longer than >the prosecution. During a hearing today, the chief prosecutor, Geoffrey >Nice, said that since the beginning of the trial, prosecutors had held the >floor in court for 93 hours and Mr. Milosevic for 140 hours. > >The two lawyers from Belgrade who assist him say he often spends his >evenings preparing questions. To prepare for the next portion of the >trial, dealing with the wars in Croatia and Bosnia, he recently received >90,000 pages and 500 videocassettes. "I will need 360 days just to read >this once," he said today in court. > >Prosecutors today suggested that the court impose a lawyer on Mr. >Milosevic to reduce his workload. Judge Patrick Robinson proposed a >compromise: that the Serb share the cross-examinations with a lawyer >without losing his right to defend himself. > >"That would allow you some rest," the judge said. "It's a bit unusual but >it has happened in some places." > >Mr. Milosevic said he would hold on to every opportunity to "speak the >truth." > >"I do not recognize this court and I have no intention of appointing a >counsel for a nonexisting court," he said. > >"As for my health," he went on, "I never asked in these months for a >single break. The fact that you ordered a medical examination and now you >have a report, that's your problem. You should not harbor any illusion >that I'm asking for anything." > >Judge Robinson responded: "Your health is of paramount concern to the >chamber. The overriding concern for me is your health." > >-------------- > >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2176-2002Jul25.html > >Copyright 2002 The Washington Post Company >Friday, July 26, 2002; Page A30 > >Milosevic Gets Health Warning >By Keith B. Richburg >Washington Post Foreign Service > >PARIS, July 25 -- Judges in the war crimes trial of Slobodan Milosevic in >The Hague said today that the former Yugoslav president is at serious risk >of a heart attack if he continues to insist on acting as his own attorney >and spend hours in heated cross-examinations of witnesses. > >The three-judge panel, revealing the results of medical tests conducted >last month on Milosevic, 60, recommended that he appoint an assistant to >help him in the complex case, and suggested that if he resisted, the panel >would impose "measures" to protect his health and reduce his workload. > >Milosevic rejected the idea of an assistant. "I have never demanded any >medical checkup, not even when I suffered a high fever," he said, firing >back angrily at the judges. "You should not harbor any illusion that I am >asking for anything." > >The trial has already been suspended three times, as Milosevic has >grappled with flu and high blood pressure. > >Some prosecutors and court watchers have said they thought he was >bluffing, but today the judges disagreed. "Milosevic is a man with serious >cardiovascular risk which requires future monitoring," said the presiding >judge, Richard May. > >"His workload must be reduced and the medical treatment by a cardiologist >is most advisable," May said. He said the court would await further tests >and "consider any option that may be available for the future conduct of >the trial." > >Neither he nor the other judge who spoke, Patrick Robinson, said what >those other options might be. But court watchers said the options might >include appointing a defense lawyer to represent Milosevic even against >his wishes; legal analysts said the judges might have concluded that he is >currently not getting a proper defense, which could lead to a conviction >being overturned on appeal. > >Milosevic maintained the same defiance today that he has shown throughout >the lengthy trial, which began early this year and has heard testimony >about abuses committed against ethnic Albanians by Serbian security forces >in Kosovo, a province of Serbia, the dominant republic of Yugoslavia, in >1998 and 1999. > >The trial is scheduled to wrap up next year, after shifting in October to >cover war crimes -- including genocide -- allegedly committed in Bosnia >and Croatia during the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. > >Milosevic has complained that he did not have adequate time to prepare his >defense. He spends each night in his cell alone poring over voluminous >prosecution documents and outlining his cross-examinations. > >On the upcoming Bosnian and Croatian indictments against him, he said he >was given 90,000 pages of documents to read and 500 cassette tapes to >listen to. > >Prosecutors have long protested Milosevic's strategy of representing >himself, believing that he is deliberately delaying the presentation of >their complex case by engaging in lengthy cross-examinations that sound >more like political speeches. > >Also, without a cooperative attorney on the opposite side, the prosecutors >have no counterpart to meet with regularly to decide, for example, which >undisputed points can be agreed to beforehand, and which witnesses can be >allowed to submit written testimony. > >Even while he takes part energetically in the proceedings, Milosevic >declares that he does not recognize the legitimacy of the U.N. court, >calling it a tool of the NATO alliance victors who bombed Yugoslavia in >1999. > >Responding to May's suggestion today that he take on an assistant counsel >to help with cross-examination, Milosevic said: "You are an honorable man. >[But] this entire matter is a farce. I have no intention of appointing >counsel for a nonexistent court." > >---------------- > >Copyright MMII BBC News > >http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2150951.stm > >Thursday, 25 July, 2002, 15:02 GMT 16:02 UK > >'Heart risk' Milosevic told to rest > >A full health check on former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has >found he is at serious risk of a heart attack and will need to rest. > >"The medical report describes the accused as a man with severe >cardiovascular risks," presiding judge Richard May, told the international >war crimes tribunal in The Hague. > >Mr Milosevic faces more than 60 counts of war crimes, genocide and crimes >against humanity relating to the wars which broke up the former Yugoslavia >in the 1990s. > >The prosecution's top insider witness, former Serbian secret service chief >Rade Markovic, told the tribunal on Thursday that Mr Milosevic had known >of alleged atrocities by the Yugoslav police and army in Kosovo. > >He said Mr Milosevic had been the effective boss of state security >operations against the ethnic Albanian population in Kosovo during the >1998-1999 war which led to Nato intervention. > >Mr Milosevic, 60, is due to cross-examine Mr Markovic on Friday. > >Health problems > >The former Yugoslav leader has suffered at least two bouts of flu since >his trial started in February, causing proceedings to be delayed by a >month. > >However, he has conducted a robust defence, and never looked frail. > >In April last year, he was rushed to hospital with chest pains, but was >subsequently given a clean bill of health. > >Last week he was temporarily unable to attend hearings because of high >blood pressure. > >Experts recommend his workload be reduced, and further tests are to be >carried out on him by a cardiologist, the court's spokesman Jim Langdale >told BBC News Online. > >The court will then consider all options open to it before deciding what >action to take. > >One of the three trial judges, Patrick Robinson, urged Mr Milosevic to >appoint a defence lawyer, saying: "Your health is of paramount concern to >the chamber." > >But Mr Milosevic - who says he does not recognise the tribunal - stuck to >his earlier refusals to be legally represented, replying: "This entire >matter is a farce. I have no intention of appointing counsels for a >non-existent court." > >Prosecutors suggested imposing a defence counsel on Mr Milosevic. > >One judge has suggested a compromise - that Mr Milosevic may be allowed to >cross-examine witnesses with his lawyer. > >The crucial link > >The BBC's Geraldine Coughlan, at The Hague, says there is a strong >possibility that after the summer recess, Mr Milosevic will no longer be >wholly responsible for his own defence. > >Thursday's hearing gave the prosecution until 13 September to finish its >case against Mr Milosevic concerning events in Kosovo, and until 16 May >2003 to finish the cases relating to Bosnia and Croatia. > >The tribunal starts a four-week summer recess this weekend. > >Mr Markovic, who was brought from a Belgrade jail to testify at the >tribunal, said the interior ministry had submitted daily secret reports on >the Kosovo situation to Mr Milosevic and other Serbian Government members. > >"Vlajko Stojiljkovic [the former interior minister] was duty-bound to >inform Slobodan Milosevic daily on the activities of the interior >ministry," he told the court. > >He said Mr Milosevic had also been briefed daily on army activities. > >Stojiljkovic committed suicide in Belgrade in April. > >Mr Markovic is the first witness to testify that Mr Milosevic had >effectively been the centre of power in Belgrade - a key point the >prosecution has to prove for the former leader to be convicted. > >Mr Markovic himself is being questioned in Serbia on charges of alleged >involvement in the assassination of Mr Milosevic's opponents when he was >head of the Serbian state security service. > >+++++ > >Thursday, 25 July, 2002, 16:48 GMT 17:48 UK >Milosevic the bon viveur > >The news that former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic is in danger of a >heart attack comes as no surprise to veteran Balkans watchers. > >He may now observe the strict regime of a prison inmate, but when in power >he was well known as a bon viveur who enjoyed his food and drink. > >His principal vices were a weakness for scotch whisky and fine Cuban >cigars. > >He also enjoyed a rich diet of roasted lamb, being especially fond of a >traditional Yugoslav barbecue. > >At Mr Milosevic's Belgrade residence, filled with antique furniture and >French paintings, he would greet visitors with whisky glass and cigar in >hand. > >Foreign dignitaries and journalists alike were invited to join him in late >night drinking sessions where he would drink copious amounts of whisky - >reportedly with little effect - puff away on a Montecristo and indulge in >telling dirty jokes. > >During one mid-morning meeting with US negotiator Richard Holbrooke, Mr >Milosevic plied the American with brandy whilst hammering out a deal on >Sarajevo. > >When someone later objected that he had got Mr Holbrooke "drunk on plum >brandy" Mr Milosevic replied: "No, I did not get him drunk on plum brandy. >I got him drunk on pear brandy." > >Mr Milosevic also enjoyed wine, especially Californian varieties. > >There are reports that sometimes Mr Milosevic would turn up to important >negotiations a little the worse for wear. > >One former US ambassador to Croatia - Peter Galbraith - remembers the >first day of the 1995 peace talks in Dayton, Ohio, when Mr Milosevic was >due to attend a meeting with Warren Christopher, the then US Secretary of >State, and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman at 1600 (1400 GMT). > >He arrived at 1635 looking somewhat ruffled, tie skew-whiff, straight from >an afternoon at the officers' club. > >"He'd obviously had a liquid lunch," Mr Galbraith said in an interview >with Newsweek. > >Even when police surrounded his home in the early hours of 1 April 2001 to >arrest him, witnesses holed up inside said he lay on a sofa, dosed up on >whisky and tranquilisers, smoking a cigar and cradling his pistol. > >Another constant presence was the roast lamb. > >Former US Assistant Deputy Secretary of State Robert Frasure had frequent >meetings with Mr Milosevic in which he was plied with so much of the stuff >that he once cabled Washington with the message, "the lambs of Serbia will >be delighted that I'm leaving!" > >The rotund Mr Milosevic is not known for being fond exercise either, >unlike his late Croatian counterpart who was known for his vicious tennis >game. > >In fact, many observers argue that now he is in prison Mr Milosevic is in >fact healthier than he has ever been. > >He has access to a coffee machine, a library and satellite TV and can go >to a gym, walk in the courtyard or play board games with his fellow >inmates. > >Nonetheless as his trial goes on, correspondents say it is apparent the >strain of long hours in court and evenings spent preparing are taking >their toll on Mr Milosevic, who is defending himself. > >But old habits die hard: "He is a politician - he wants to do the >talking," one of his Belgrade lawyers said. > >========================================================================== > ># distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission ># <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, ># collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets ># more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body ># archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://amsterdam.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold