Serb PM defiant after previous 'attempt'
 |
Djindjic initially blamed the incident on "careless driving."
Story Tools
SPECIAL REPORT
|
|
|
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro -- Serb Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who was shot dead on Wednesday, remained defiant despite an alleged assassination attempt last month.
Djindic, who led the popular revolt that toppled Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in October 2000 and had many enemies because of his pro-reformist and pro-Western stance, said he would not be intimidated.
"If someone thinks the law and the reforms can be stopped by eliminating me, then that is a huge delusion," Djindjic was quoted as saying by the Politika newspaper at the time.
Djindjic favored greater cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal, where Milosevic is standing trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Media reports in Belgrade said police believed the incident in which a truck almost hit a car carrying Djindjic was an attempt to kill him. A man was detained after the incident.
The government appeared to confirm that view after Djindjic's death. A statement issued on Wednesday said the "assassination follows a recent attempt on a motorway to murder the prime minister."
"Since the attempt on the motorway, a thorough investigation was launched throughout the country and abroad that was supposed to lead to the arrests of those involved within days.
"Today's assassination cannot be considered outside the context of these recent events."
Djindjic had initially dismissed the incident last month as a case of "careless driving." But after the Serb media drew parallels with a 1999 incident when a truck swerved into a car carrying then opposition leader Vuk Draskovic, he appeared not to rule out that it was an attempt on his life.
"I cannot believe that after the Ibarska motorway case somebody tries to repeat the same thing," Djindjic said in comments posted on state television's Web site.
He added: "If there would be evidence to prove that there was an assassination attempt and that these people think that nothing has changed in this country and that they can keep doing what they did under Milosevic's regime then they are very wrong."
Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
