Veljko Kadijević
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General Veljko Kadijević (Cyrillic: Вељко Кадиjевић) (born 1925 in Glavina Donja near Imotski) was the minister of defence in the Yugoslav government from 1988 to 1992,[1] which makes him de facto commander of Yugoslav People's Army during Ten-Day War and initial stages of Croatian War of Independence.
He was born to a Croatian mother and a Serbian father, he always declared himself as a Yugoslav.[2] In 1942 he joined the Yugoslav partisans and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. He remained in active duty after the war and finished US Army Command and General Staff College in 1963. He became the fifth minister of defence in SFRY. Following the collapse of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, he was one of the founders of the party called "League of Communists - Movement for Yugoslavia". In May of 1991 he stated that if federal and republic officials "failed to ensure Peace, the Yugoslav armed forces could efficiently do so themselves.".[3]
In 2003 he allegedly moved to Florida (United States).[citation needed] In March 2007 Serbian press reported contradictory information: that Kadijević is working as a special counsel to the United States Army in search for bunkers in Iraq, and also that he is in Moscow as a guest of Dmitry Yazov.[4] On 26 March 2007, Croatian news portal published an interview with Kadijević in which he confirmed that he is military advisor to Coallition in Iraq, but stated that it "doesn't mean that he is permanently situated there", without stating his current whereabouts.[5]
There are 3 indictments against him in Croatia: first one issued in November 1992 in Bjelovar, second one in 2002 in Vukovar and third one in May 2006 by Osijek Osijek-Baranja County attorney general. On March 21, 2007 Croatian Ministry of Interior issued an arrest warrant for Kadijević for "war crimes against the civilian population".[6] Interpol issued an arrest warrant on March 23, 2007.[7]
| Preceded by Branko Mamula |
Federal secretary of people's defence 15 May 1988 - 8 January 1992 |
Succeeded by Blagoje Adžić (acting) |
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Smrt Jugoslavije / Učesnici događaja. Retrieved on 2005-8-9.
- ^ A post on a forum summing up Kadijević's biography
- ^ Dr. Timothy L. Sanz and Dr. Jacob W. Kipp. The Yugoslav Peoples's Army: Between Civil War and Disintegration. Retrieved on 2005-7-4.
- ^ (Croatian) March 2007 article on Kadijević's whereabouts
- ^ (Croatian) Interview with Kadijević on business.hr
- ^ (Croatian) Arrest warrant by Croatian police
- ^ Interpol arrest warant for Kadijević
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