Milosevic Concedes Defeat on TV
B E L G R A D E, Yugoslavia, Oct. 6 -- After 13 years at the helm of the Yugoslav government, the man who masterminded a wave of Serb nationalism and ushered his people through a series of bloody civil and international wars has conceded defeat.
In a recorded television statement broadcast today, Slobodan Milosevic congratulated President-elect Vojislav Kostunica on his victory in the Sept. 24 presidential elections — a victory Milosevic had previously refused to acknowledge.
And with that calm admission of defeat, the “Butcher of the Balkans” ended an extraordinary week that saw hundreds of thousands of people win control of central Belgrade and seize the parliament building against a backdrop of suspense and euphoria in Yugoslavia.
In the broadcast on a small state-run television network, Milosevic thanked the people who supported him and said he planned to rest before returning to politics sometime later.
“I congratulate Vojislav Kostunica on his election victoryand I wish our nation success over the next term,” said Milosevic, adding that his Socialist Party would be a strong political opponent to the new administration.
The message, broadcast to an estimated 1.5 million homes, was treated with suspicion by a wide variety of Serbians.
Many expressed concerns that Milosevic was just buying time to stage some sort of counterattack.
Earlier today, Kostunica appeared on Serb television and announced Yugoslav authorities had accepted a shift in presidential power. He said he had made contact with armed forces commanders and they had agreed to “obey authority.”
“Don’t worry about the army. The Yugoslav army is our army.”
He spent more than two hours answering people’s questions on television, trying to assuage fears.
People across Serbia watched his message in restaurants, bars. In the streets, people looked into doorways and windows to watch the broadcast.
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