'SA would not turn
away Milosevic'
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Sunday 2.00pm
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SOUTH Africa would not ban Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic should he flee Yugoslavia for SA, President Nelson Mandela said on Sunday. Speaking in Eldorado park, south of Johannesburg, Mandela said South Africa will not ban anybody. "What we condemn is ]Milosevic's] actions," he said. Mandela was responding to questions triggered by a report in the Sunday Times that said that Milosevic is suspected of setting up a bolt hole in South Africa in anticipation of being forced to make a peace settlement with Nato. The report claims that Milosevic has reportedly been secretly routing much of his family's wealth to South Africa through business contacts in Cyprus, Israel and Greece.
Mandela said he has not heard of the reports. The newspaper, quoting a report in The Times of Britain, said much of the Milosevic family's wealth is already in SA. Milosevic's son, Marko, a blond night-club owner and black-marketeer, was seen in Johannesburg shortly before Nato's airstrikes began 46 days ago, the report said.
He was apparently setting up a shelter for his family's fortune.
Marko Milosevic (24) is reportedly one of Yugoslavia's wealthiest businessmen. As well as the night-club, he owns a radio station and several members of the Milosevic family are reported to be millionaires -- with their wealth coming from a range of sources, including black-market operations, selling petrol, and the cash sale last year of a $1-billion (R6,1-billion) stake in its telecommunications monopoly to Greek and Italian investors.
Milosevic is reportedly coming under pressure to resign from tycoons in Yugoslavia who have helped his family amass its wealth.
Asked if Milosevic's money could be repatriated to Yugoslavia, Mandela said it would depend on the circumstances under which it was acquired. "It is not a crime to invest in any country," he said.
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