Milosevic's brother praises President Lukashenka on Belarus TV
BBC Monitoring (Former Soviet Union) - June 28, 2006

Belarusian TV has broadcast an interview with Borislav Milosevic, former Yugoslav ambassador to Russia and brother of the late Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic.

Speaking in the interview aired on 28 June, Milosevic said that the EU stood behind a recent referendum on Montenegro's independence. He forecast that the Albanian minority in the Balkans will press for a referendum on Kosovo's independence. Albanians in the Balkans will be pressing for the creation of "Great Albania", he said. He added that Albania will turn into an Islamic state and "this will do no good to Europe". He forecast that a possible referendum on Kosovo's independence may create a precedent for such referenda in Russian republics and did not rule out "a Yugoslav scenario" for Russia. Milosevic accused Albanians in Kosovo of trafficking drugs to Europe. This problem will only aggravate if Kosovo becomes independent, he predicted.

He slammed the West's "unbridled propaganda" against Belarus and attempts "to demonize" Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. He also criticized NATO's plans to set up military bases in former Yugoslavia. Milosevic did not rule out the construction of a NATO naval base in Montenegro. He warned that NATO's expansion plans are aimed at securing the bloc's dominance in the world.

He said that NATO's operation against Yugoslavia demonstrated that "Europe was fighting against itself". He criticized Europe's participation in the US "adventures" in Iraq and Afghanistan. Milosevic also criticized the USA and its allies for exerting pressure on other countries under the pretext of combating international terrorism.

Commenting on the March presidential election in Belarus, Milosevic said the West is pressurizing Lukashenka for his independent policies. He added that Yugoslavia experienced similar pressure during a presidential election in his country. He praised Lukashenka for his visit to Belgrade during NATO's bombings and thanked Belarus for support.

Commenting on the death of his brother, he rebuked the Hague tribunal for not allowing Slobodan Milosevic to undergo treatment. Independence costs leaders dearly, he said.

The interview lasted for about 20 minutes. No further processing is planned.

Source: Belarusian television, Minsk, in Russian 1850 28 Jun 06

Copyright 2006 British Broadcasting Corporation.
Posted for Fair Use only.