NATO ambassador jumps to his death seconds after laughing and joking with  diplomat colleagues

• Serbian ambassador Branislav Milinkovic strolled up to a barrier and flung himself to his death at a multistory garage  at Brussels Airport
• Colleagues say all had seemed fine with the popular and well-liked man in the hours before his death
• Milinkovic is believed to have been unhappy about living apart from his Vienna-based wife and their 17-year-old  son
• Highly regarded as a liberal activist, he had opposed the authoritarian regime of former Serbian leader Slobodan  Milosevic

  By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED:17:48 GMT, 5  December 2012| UPDATED:22:10 GMT, 5 December 2012

Serbia's ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when  he suddenly strolled to a barrier, climbed over and flung himself to the ground  below, a diplomat said.

By the time his shocked colleagues reached him, Branislav Milinkovic was dead.

His motives are a mystery. Three diplomats who knew Milinkovic said he did not appear distraught in the hours leading up to his death Tuesday night. He seemed to be going about his regular business, they said, picking up an arriving delegation of six Serbian officials who were due to hold talks with NATO, the alliance that went to war with his country just 13 years ago.

A former author and activist opposed to the authoritarian regime of Serbia's former strongman Slobodan Milosevic, Milinkovic was outgoing, had a warm sense of humor and worked to keep good ties with ambassadors from other ex-Yugoslav countries,´according to diplomats and acquaintances.

The diplomats, who spoke on condition of  anonymity because they were not authorized to release details, said they knew of  no circumstances - private or professional - that would have prompted him to take his own life.

But Milinkovic, 52, had mentioned to colleagues at diplomatic functions that he was unhappy about living apart from his wife, a Serbian diplomat based in Vienna, and their 17-year-old  son.

One of the diplomats described his death to The Associated Press, saying she had spoken to a member of the delegation who had witnessed the leap from the 8- to 10-meter-high (26- to 33-foot-high) platform.

The diplomats all spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not permitted by foreign service regulations to speak  publicly to the press.

Speaking in Brussels, Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said that 'Belgian police are investigating, but it's obviously a suicide. It's hard to figure out the motives or causes.'

FULL STORY: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2243510/Branislav-Milinkovi...

THANKS FOR THE REMINDER DTOM!