RUSSIAN NATIONALIST LEADER SEES KARADZIC ARREST AS "ANTI-RUSSIAN POLICY"
BBC Monitoring International Reports - July 22, 2008 Tuesday

Text of report by Gazprom-owned, editorially independent Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy on 22 July

[Presenter] The arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader [Radovan] Karadzic is a continuation of a campaign against Serb patriots and indirectly against Russia, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovskiy has said. In his opinion, Moscow should demand that Belgrade must not hand Karadzic over to the Hague Tribunal and that the trial must take place on Serbia's territory.

[Zhirinovskiy, 101235-101322] We can only be indignant about his arrest. Russia could have helped, could have taken him out of there at the time so that he could live on our territory, so that he was granted political asylum.

All this is a continuation of an anti-Serb policy, an anti-Orthodox policy and, indirectly, an anti-Russian policy. We should deal with the obstacles and defend Serb patriots. We should be on the side of people like Karadzic.

I am against him being handed over to the Hague Tribunal. I am in favour of him staying in Belgrade so that Belgrade's legal bodies prove his guilt. He is not guilty of anything. We must be doing all we can to prevent this and we should be defending people like Karadzic. I knew him personally. He is a wonderful person. We should try having him transported to Russia, so that he has some rest here and so that he lives here, so that he is granted political asylum.

Source: Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, in Russian 1000 gmt 22 Jul 08
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