Milošević, Slobodan

Milošević, Slobodan (1941) Serbian statesman, president of Serbia (1989–97), president of Yugoslavia (1997–2000). In 1986, he became head of the Serbian Communist Party. As president, he confronted the breakup of the federation of Yugoslavia. After his re-election in 1992, he gave support to the Serb populations in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, who fought for a Greater Serbia. Milošević gradually distanced himself from the brutal activities of the Bosnian Serbs Mladić and Karadžić. In 1995, he signed the Dayton Peace Accord with Bosnian President Izetbegović and Croatian President Tudjman to end the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. In 1996, Milošević refused to recognize opposition victories in municipal elections. In 1997 he was forced to concede some of these victories after mass demonstrations in Belgrade. In 1998, Milošević ordered Yugoslav forces to crush the majority Albanian population in the province of Kosovo, provoking NATO air attacks on Serbian military and industrial targets. In 1999, Milošević agreed to a peace plan and a United Nations' (UN) peacekeeping force was sent to Kosovo. Defeated by Vojislav Koštunica in 2000 elections, Milošević reluctantly stood down. In 2001, he was arrested on charges of corruption and abuse of power and sent to The Hague, the Netherlands, to face the International War Crimes Tribunal. For history of Yugoslavia, see Serbia and Montenegro.