U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering said in Spain: "Serbia seems to be moving close to a sort of long-knives confrontation" brought about by discontent, instability and a lack of control in the country,

ACCORDING TO RMNEWS AGENT PHILLIP, THOMAS PICKERING IS A BILDERBERGER.

THE "LONG KNIVES CONFRONTATION" IS A CODE WORD WHICH ALLUDES TO THE NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES IN GERMANY WHEN HITLER'S TRUE NATURE FINALLY EMERGED.

WHAT IS PICKERING SAYING? THIS COMMENT MAKES ME THINK THAT SOME OUTSIDE GROUP THAT PICKERING IS PART OF, IS ORCHESTRATING THE DISCONTENT AND INSTAABILITY IN BELGRADE. COULD THE BILDERBERGERS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ASSASSINATIONS OF ARKAN AND THE DEFENSE MINISTER?

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Conspiracy theories swirl in Serbia after second assassination Copyright © 2000 Nando Media Copyright © 2000 Associated Press

By JOVANA GEC

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (February 8, 2000 6:51 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - The government of President Slobodan Milosevic, whose key figures have been indicted for war crimes, pledged an all-out campaign against terrorism Tuesday after the defense minister became the latest prominent person assassinated in Belgrade.

The ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party accused American, French or British intelligence agents of being behind the murder of Pavle Bulatovic, who was gunned down Monday in a Belgrade restaurant. The party has been close to Milosevic's government for years.

Meanwhile, U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering said in Spain: "Serbia seems to be moving close to a sort of long-knives confrontation" brought about by discontent, instability and a lack of control in the country,

As with so many of the assassinations in Yugoslavia in the past decade, the motive and possible perpetrators of Bulatovic's killing remained unclear Tuesday.

The killing of the Milosevic ally from the smaller Yugoslav republic of Montenegro struck at the very heart of the Yugoslav president's government. Bulatovic was the highest-ranking victim among more than a dozen prominent figures - including politicians, journalists, police and underworld figures - killed during the past decade of Milosevic's rule.

Last month, Zeljko Raznatovic, known as "Arkan" - Serbia's most notorious warlord and underworld figure - was gunned down in a Belgrade hotel.

On Tuesday, Milosevic joined Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and other grim-faced government figures in a brief memorial service for Bulatovic.

"Yesterday, cowardly, from the dark, the greatest evil of 20th century - terrorism - took away the life of our comrade Pavle," said deputy premier Nikola Sainovic, who is under indictment by the United Nations war-crimes tribunal for atrocities in Kosovo. "The fight against terrorism is our sacred and state duty, and we will conduct it even more strongly ... A shot in Pavle was a shot in all of us."

Bulatovic's killing occurred during a period of tension between Milosevic and the leadership in Montenegro, Serbia's only partner in what's left of the Yugoslav federation, which has been making moves toward independence. Bulatovic was a top official in the pro-Milosevic Socialist Peoples' Party in Montenegro.

Although Bulatovic was a Cabinet official, he was believed to wield little real power. He also had no reputation as a player in Yugoslavia's shadowy network of smuggling and organized crime, which is tied closely to authorities here.

The opposition Democratic Alternative made the vague speculation that Bulatovic could have been a "inconvenient witness or opponent" of some shadowy figure. "Or if this is a shot in the institution, then it is a clear message to the regime."

Opposition figure Miodrag Isakov said Bulatovic's murder could serve as the reason to declare a state of emergency or deepen the crisis with Montenegro over its threats of secession.

The killing dominated coverage Tuesday in all newspapers in Serbia and Montenegro, complete with pictures from the crime scene at the restaurant of Belgrade's soccer club Rad.

Bulatovic's killer fired from an automatic weapon through the window of the restaurant, wounding the defense minister and his two companions - restaurant owner Mirko Knezevic and military banker Vuk Obradovic. Bulatovic later died in the Belgrade military hospital nearby.

In Montenegro, the authorities canceled a scheduled parliament session because of the murder.

Miodrag Vukovic, an adviser to Montenegro's pro-Western President Milo Djukanovic, called on Serbia's leaders to "speak out and say why this country has become restive and dangerous to life."

Bulatovic, 52, had been Yugoslavia's defense minister since 1993. Survived by his wife and three children, he will be buried Thursday.

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