THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 12 (Hina) - The trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague entered its second year on Wednesday with the testimony of a key prosecutorial witness,
retired general Aleksandar Vasiljevic, who headed the military counter-intelligence in 1991-2.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 12 (Hina) - The trial of former Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic before the U.N. war crimes tribunal at
The Hague entered its second year on Wednesday with the testimony of
a key prosecutorial witness, retired general Aleksandar
Vasiljevic, who headed the military counter-intelligence in 1991-
2. #L#
As the chief of the former Yugoslav army's security in 1991-2 and
one of the top intelligence officials in Serbia and Yugoslavia,
Vasiljevic is testifying about Milosevic's direct control over
military and police security forces.
Today's testimony is closed to the public, as has already been the
case with Vasiljevic, at prosecutor Geoffrey Nice's request.
Before today's hearing, Nice announced it would focus on the role
top officials at Serbia's interior ministry and state security --
Milosevic's closest associates -- played in the formation of
paramilitary units and their war activities.
The hearing will also probe how inspectors from abroad, mostly from
the Foreign Legion, were brought in to train those units and how
people with criminal records were engaged.
Vasiljevic has been cooperating with the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia since 1999 after appearing on
the indictment charging Milosevic with war crimes in Croatia as one
of his 15 closest associates responsible for ethnic cleansing in
parts of Croatia and their annexation to Greater Serbia.
So far Vasiljevic has testified about the role Serbia's interior
ministry, state security, and territorial defence, and the JNA
played in arming and training Serb paramilitaries in Croatia and
forming volunteer units in Serbia which were then sent to fronts in
Croatia.
(hina) ha sb