I like her sense of humor<g>: ``I'm just waiting to be accused of provoking a conflict in Chechnya, floods in India, the abduction of Aldo Moro or freezing temperatures in Siberia,'' Markovic said.
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Milosevic Did Not Steal From State, Wife Says
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites)'s wife defended her
husband against allegations that he grew rich and stashed away funds while in power, saying
in remarks published on Thursday the ousted leader only had one bank account.
``If there is a person who did not take anything from the state, nor got anything from it, it's
him,'' Mirjana Markovic told Yugoslav weekly Vreme in an interview. ``And if there is a man
this state owes it's him.
``Every director of a good company, or a mayor of a larger municipality, has more material
possessions than he does,'' said Markovic, an influential behind-the-scenes figure during her
husband's turbulent 13 years in power.
Markovic is a leader of the neo-communist Yugoslav Left, whose officials are widely
associated in the eyes of the Serb public with getting rich through questionable business
dealings.
Milosevic's opponents have frequently alleged he and his family took advantage of their status
to plunder state assets and hoard money in a web of foreign bank accounts.
But Markovic said her husband had no bank accounts other than the one into which his
salary had been paid.
``The ugliest thing of all that can be heard about him constantly on TV or read in the press is
that he had financially benefited from his... presidential position,'' she said.
She spoke bitterly about ex-allies who had become rich when Milosevic was in power only
to switch sides when he was ousted, buying the new leadership's silence by ``selling out their
party colleagues, political associates or personal friends.''
Milosevic's party friends had fled to other parties, retired or cut some deal with the new
leadership, ``to refrain from defending their boss, to keep silent,'' she said.
Mysterious Killings
Markovic also denied any knowledge of or role in mysterious killings and assassination bids
when her husband was in power.
``I'm just waiting to be accused of provoking a conflict in Chechnya (news - web sites),
floods in India, the abduction of Aldo Moro or freezing temperatures in Siberia,'' Markovic
said. Moro, a former Italian prime minister, was assassinated in 1978.
``It is a little bit too much, even from political opponents and malicious individuals,'' she said.
Milosevic's foes, who ousted him last year, have accused his secret police of being behind
murders and other crimes.
His secret police chief Rade Markovic was arrested last month on suspicion of ordering an
assassination attempt in 1999 against then opposition leader Vuk Draskovic.
``I don't know whether the accident on the Ibarska highway was of a political or of a traffic
nature,'' said Markovic, referring to a car crash which slightly injured Draskovic and killed
four of his associates.
But, she added: ``I sincerely believe the authorities in Serbia played no part in that matter.'' |
