Serbian Security Chief Stanisic ‘Was Arkan’s Boss’

Witness Borivoje Savic specified that Raznatovic said that to him during their meeting at Trozubac café in Belgrade. Raznatovic had just returned from Zagreb, where, as the witness said, “he was in prison as per an agreement between Slobodan Milosevic and Franjo Tudjman”.

Savic, one of the founders of the Serbian Democratic Party in Slavonia, said yesterday that the Serbian SDB deployed Raznatovic’s paramilitary forces to Eastern Slavonia in the spring of 1991, adding that those units committed grave crimes against non-Serb civilians.

“As soon as they arrived in the field, they executed all the Croats and Hungarians and threw them into wells … Arkan’s guards acted both as the law and the court,” the witness said, adding that the Serbian interior minister, Radmilo Bogdanovic, announced the arrival of Raznatovic’s units.

During his testimony today Savic said Raznatovic’s and other paramilitary forces followed the Yugoslav National Army, JNA, during combats and “cleaned” the villages.

“The JNA gave an order to its soldiers not to harm civilians, but they were followed by a crew which performed the cleaning. Those were the heroes who killed old men, burned and pillaged houses,” the witness said.

During the cross-examination Stanisic’s defense attorney Wayne Jordash asked the witness which position Stanisic officially held in May 1991.

“I do not know,” Savic responded. He gave the same answer when asked by the defense attorney to whom Stanisic reported at the time.

Responding to a suggestion by the defense attorney, the witness confirmed that he did not see Stanisic in the Serbian Autonomous Region, SAO, Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem at that time and that he had not contacts with him.

Commenting the witness’ allegation that the Serbian SDB controlled Raznatovic, Stanisic’s defense attorney suggested that Savic did not differentiate between the mentioned Service and the Public Safety Department of the Serbian Interior Ministry whose chief Radovan Stojcic, alias Badza, was active in Eastern Slavonia and closely cooperated with Raznatovic.

“Stojicic was known as Milosevic’s policeman. He was the assistant minister of the Serbian Interior Ministry, who was appointed the commander of the Territorial Defense of Borovo Selo … He was appointed by the Service,” Savic responded.

He repeated his allegation that the Serbian SDB “established the entire government of SAO Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem” although, when asked by the defense attorney how exactly the government was formed, he said he “does not know”.

According to Savic, Belgrade offered help to Serbs in Croatia, via some people, whom Savic identified as close associates to the Serbian SDB, in realizing “the very striking slogan – We shall be one country”.

He mentioned Ilija Petrovic and Ilija Koncarevic as the persons who offered this kind of help.

When asked which other members of the Serbian SDB became involved, the witness said he “did not keep records”.

Responding to a question on why he had previously said that Koncarevic and Petrovic were members of the Military Security Service and now claimed they were members of the Serbian SDB, the witness said: “They sometimes introduced themselves as members of the Military Service and sometimes as members of SDB … It was their model of behaviour”.

When asked what type of identification documents they possessed, the witness said they had the IDs of the Serbian Radical Party, so “the Service made SRS”.

“This means that an SRS identification card was the sign of their membership in the Serbian SDB?” the defense attorney suggested. The witness responded by saying: “When they show their IDs to illiterate men … It was meant for naïve persons”.

Savic stuck to his allegation that the Serbian SDB armed Serbs in Slavonia “under the guise of SDS”.

When asked how he knew that the weapons were sent by the Serbian SDB and not, for instance, smuggled, the witness answered: “Who can secure the delivery of weapons across borders without police or any other controls? SDB, who else”.

“Why do you think it was SDB and not the Military Security Service or MUP,” the defense attorney insisted. The witness said: “Because it profited from it, everybody profited”.

“Why are you pointing your finger at the Serbian SDB if everybody profited from it,” the defense attorney asked. The witness responded by saying: “The Service was the only body which could organize it.” He repeated that that Ilija Kojic, who confirmed later on that he worked for the Serbian SDB, offered him weapons at that time, saying it was “from Stanisic”.

Jovica Stanisic, who was the chief of the Serbian SDB as of 1992, and his assistant Franko Simatovic have been charged with committing persecution, murders, deportations and forcible resettlement of Croat and Muslim civilians during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The examination of Savic is due to continue tomorrow.