Run-off election a sham, says U.S.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, SEPT. 28. The United States has sharply criticised the run- off election in Yugoslavia scheduled for October 8, saying among other things, that it was an attempt to ``steal'' the verdict of a fair election. The denunciation came directly from the White House and the President, Mr. Bill Clinton.

Arguing that the Election Commission set up by the Yugoslavian President, Mr. Slobodan Milosevic, has no credibility, Mr. Clinton said, ``It certainly appears from a distance that they had a free election and somebody's trying to take it away from them.'' In the view of the President, the Opposition in Yugoslavia believes that it had 50 per cent of the vote and that independent observers agreed with this.

Prior to leaving for Texas for fund raising appearances, Mr. Clinton took note of the fact that the Opposition candidate, Mr. Vojoslav Kostunica, was not planning to take part in the run-off; and at the same time administration officials and the President have not said what Washington could do in support of Mr. Kostunica. ``I think what Europe and the United States should do is support the expressed will of the Serbian people'', he said, adding that whatever is done must be consistent.

Even as early as Tuesday, the U.S. appeared convinced that Mr. Milosevic had rigged the vote with Mr. Clinton saying that in spite of attempts at manipulation, Mr. Milosevic had lost the election. The Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, was even more blunt. ``Milosevic is a figure of the past. For too long his lawlessness has weakened Yugoslavia; his cronies have robbed Yugoslavia; and his mismanagement has all but bankrupted Yugoslavia,'' she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In lashing out at Mr. Milosevic and the electoral machinery in Yugoslavia, Washington has made it known in clear terms where it sees the process is headed. At the same time, the U.S. is wary of pushing the leadership in Belgrade to any extreme position for fear of making Mr. Milosevic more stubborn.

The only thing that Washington seems to be saying, and that too indirectly, is that the sanctions against Belgrade would be lifted if the wishes of the people are respected.

Analysts say that the U.S. understands Mr. Milosevic well. After initially being under the impression that the Yugoslavian strongman would go down on his knees after the first bombs fell, the U.S. found Mr. Milosevic withstanding the attacks by NATO warplanes for 78 days last year.

At the end of it all, while the country was in tatters, Mr. Milosevic still held the political ground.

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Section  : International
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