Killing of Serbian Prime Minister Fuels Fears About Country's Stability

The assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic on Wednesday could endanger the drive for democracy that he launched in the Balkan country after the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic, German specialists in the region say.

"Djindjic stood like no other for reform," said Marie-Janine Calic of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. "This push has suffered a severe setback."

The 50-year-old Djindjic, the man who made many enemies after he helped topple former Yugoslav President Milosevic, was cut down by sniper bullets on Wednesday. Djindjic was shot by two large caliber sniper bullets fired from a distance, a police source said. Sources from Djindjic's cabinet told The Associated Press that the bullets struck Djindjic in the stomach and back, and that doctors were "fighting for his life" in Belgrade's emergency hospital.

A short time later, a source from his Democratic Party said the fight had been futile. "He's dead," the source said.

Two people arrested in the attack

The shooting occurred about 11:45 a.m. local time outside the main government building in Belgrade. Police cordoned off the building after the shoot-out and government ministers immediately met in emergency session, a government source said. Two people were arrested, witnesses said.

The prime minister was killed at a particularly uncertain time in Serbia, a country still reeling from the effects of the Balkan wars of the 1990s and NATO's air war in 1999. The country of Yugoslavia was formally buried last month. In its place, the union of Serbia and Montenegro was created. Serbia does not have an elected president at the moment because efforts to elect a new leader have failed.

"Djindjic's death creates a large amount of instability because it does not have an elected president or a prime minister," said Franz-Lothar Altmann, another Balkan specialist at the foundation. "The Serbian don't have any idea either who can and should be his successor."

One of those possible candidates could be his nemesis, former Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica.

The instability could accelerate into violence, Altmann said. "Radical elements could see this as an opportunity to impose a state of emergency, and call out the police and army," he said.

In Belgrade, the Cabinet seemed to have similar thoughts. After meeting in emergency session and declaring three days of mourning, the government asked acting Serbian President Natasa Micic to consider imposing a "nationwide" state of emergency that would give the military the same powers as police to detain suspects and investigate.

Fischer promises German support

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer also recognized the potential dangers that could arise after the assassination and he pledged that Germany would press forward with its effort to establish a democracy in the Balkan country. "This horrible signal from Belgrad must not be allowed under any circumstances to impede this process," Fischer said.

Djindjic appeared to have been targeted last month, when a truck suddenly cut into the lane in which his motorcade was traveling to Belgrade's airport. Djindjic then suggested the near-miss could have been linked to efforts by his government to stamp out the organized crime that flourished during the rule of Milosevic. "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, who spearheaded the popular revolt that toppled Milosevic in October 2000, had many enemies because of his pro-reformist and Western stands.

He saw Serbia's fate as linked to the West and has favored greater cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands investigating the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He was pivotal in arresting and handing Milosevic to the tribunal in June 2001. For this, he was blasted by Serbian nationalists, including Kostunica.

Dispute slows reform effort

Djindjic's feud with Kostunica (photo) since the two jointly toppled Milosevic has virtually paralyzed the country's much-needed economic and social reforms.

Djindjic was often criticized by his opponents for seeking too much power and for "mercilessly" combating his political rivals.

He was a German-educated technocrat known to supporters as "The Manager" for his organizational skills and as "Little Slobo" to his detractors for his authoritarian tendencies like those of the real Slobo, Milosevic.

Though derided for his fondness for big cars and flashy suits, Djindjic's trade of Milosevic for $1.2 billion in international economic aid appeared to have won respect from people desperate to improve a living standard that ranks among the lowest in Europe.

Role in Kosovo urged

He also helped preside over the end of Yugoslavia and the creation of the country of Serbia-Montenegro last month. Also last month, Djindjic's government asked NATO for permission to send troops back to Kosovo, nearly four years after the NATO warplanes bombed Serb forces to oust them from the province, if there is a war in Iraq.

Djindjic said Serb troops would fill any security vacuum in Kosovo if NATO withdrew troops for military action in Iraq. However, no plans have been announced to reduce the number of troops in the peacekeeping force because of the Iraqi crisis.

Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO fought an air war to end then-Yugoslav President Milosevic's crackdown on the province's independence-minded ethnic Albanians. A NATO-led peacekeeping force of 30,000 troops is stationed in Kosovo, which remains part of Yugoslavia.

A fitness enthusiast, Djindjic was born in Bosanski Samac, in Bosnia, the son of a Yugoslav People's Army officer. Djindjic, who spoke German and English, was married with two children.