US senator wants sanctions against Belgrade

05/08/2008

WASHINGTON, United States -- A Serb national wanted by the US Justice Department after a fight in New York failed to appear in court last week, US Senator Charles Schumer said on Monday (August 4th). He then insisted Washington impose sanctions against Belgrade for failing to co-operate in the case. Miladin Kovacevic, 21, allegedly attacked classmate Bryan Steinhauer in a bar near a New York university in early May. Steinhauer has been in a coma ever since. Kovacevic returned to Serbia after his release on bail, using a hastily arranged passport issued by the Serbian consulate in New York. "There was a deadline -- August 1st -- set by the State Department. He didn't respect it," Schumer told a US television channel. He says he will demand Congress reconsider US aid to Serbia, which amounts to $50m annually. (Beta, B92 - 05/08/08; AFP, Tanjug, Beta - 04/08/08)