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Is Karadzic Really Going? Officials, Media Scramble for Answers SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, May 18 (AP) — The leader of the Bosnian Serbs faced intense pressure from Western officials to resign Sunday, but even if Radovan Karadzic met their demand it seemed unlikely he would truly give up power. Karadzic announced Saturday that he was giving up some duties to an extreme nationalist ally, and on Sunday, international officials said they had received verbal guarantees from Karadzic’s deputies that “he is gone, that he is off the scene.” But the officials said they needed more. The guarantees were given to Carl Bildt, the top civilian official in Bosnia, in a meeting that did not end until just before dawn, said an official in Bildt’s office who spoke on condition of anonymity. “That was not enough for us,” the official said. “We want total removal of Karadzic. We are not accepting verbal assurances.” Even a resignation, however, would not prevent Karadzic from running the show behind a figurehead. Karadzic, who led the Bosnian Serbs through 3½ years of war, has been indicted for war crimes. International officials refuse to meet with him, and regard him as one of the main impediments to implementing the Dayton peace accord. The pressure on Karadzic intensified this week after he sacked his prime minister, who had backed a plan to cooperate with, rather than confront, the international community. Karadzic engineered the replacement of that rival, Rajko Kasagic, in an assembly Saturday, emphasizing the grip he still has on Bosnian Serb territory. But hours later, he handed over his power to deal with the international community to an ally, Biljana Plavsic. The two moves aim to keep the Bosnian Serbs united against most of the Dayton peace accord while taking some of the heat for that policy off Karadzic himself. The defiance of the Serb prime minister and his supporters in Banja Luka, the largest Serb-held city in Bosnia, threatened to split Bosnian Serb territory in two — an eastern part controlled by Karadzic, and northwest Bosnia controlled by more moderate Serb politicians. Kasagic, the ousted prime minister, has reportedly gone into hiding, concerned about his safety. He was replaced by Gojko Klickovic, 41, who is known for his work with Bosnian Serb refugees. Plavsic, on the other hand, is expected to continue Karadzic’s nationalist policies. Stepping aside could also lessen the rising diplomatic pressure to arrest Karadzic and send him to the Netherlands to face war crimes charges. In particular, Karadzic insists that Bosnians cannot live together after 3 1/2 years of war and that Serbs need their own territory. That is a key issue as thousands of refugees try return home under the freedom-of-movement provisions of the peace accord. Karadzic’s formal departure would also serve the purposes of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Some international officials argue that Milosevic should help oust Karadzic, his former ally, or face new economic sanctions. Serbian News Media: 'Karadzic gone' Belgrade newspapers under control of the Serbia president, which have been harshly critical of Karadzic, on Sunday trumpeted his move as a departure. “Karadzic gone,” read headlines in two newspapers, Vecernje Novosti and Politika. An independent commentator, Stojan Cerovic of the weekly Vreme, was far less convinced. “It is not a serious change,” he said Sunday in an interview. “(Plavsic) is hardly a change. She is very close to Karadzic. They are virtually the same.” But Cerovic said it seemed unlikely that Karadzic would run in Bosnia-wide elections this fall. He is banned from doing that by the Dayton peace agreement, but has indicated he wanted to anyway. The source in Bildt’s office said Plavsic is not as powerful as Karadzic, and international officials would try to sideline her and other Bosnian Serb hard-liners one by one. In a statement late Saturday, Karadzic said he would now concentrate on solving the status of refugees, finding jobs for demobilized soldiers, restarting the economy and rebuilding Serb-held territory in Bosnia. Plavsic she would work to implement the Dayton agreement on Bosnian Serb terms.

Berserkistan, May 19 · Bildt: Beginning of End for Karadzic
Berserkistan, May 19 · Karadzic the Gambler Plays Desperate Game of Survival
Berserkistan, May 18 · Bosnian Serb Parliament Elects New Hardline PM
Berserkistan, May 18 · New Bosnian Serb PM Sets Go-Slow Policy on Dayton
Berserkistan, May 18 · Karadzic Outflanks Bildt Over Prime Minister's Firing
Berserkistan, May 18 · Karadzic Names New Prime Minister to Replace Moderate Kasagic
Berserkistan, May 18 · Karadzic's Actions Intensify U.S. Sanctions Threats

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