THE HAGUE, Feb 26 (Hina) - Herbert Okun, deputy special envoy of UN secretary-general during the aggression on Croatia from 1991 though 1992, on Wednesday took the witness stand in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic before the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague (ICTY).
THE HAGUE, Feb 26 (Hina) - Herbert Okun, deputy special envoy of UN
secretary-general during the aggression on Croatia from 1991
though 1992, on Wednesday took the witness stand in the trial of
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the
international war crimes tribunal in The Hague (ICTY). #L#
As a deputy to Cyrus Vance, special UN envoy, at that time, Okun took
part in crucial meetings with Slobodan Milosevic, Yugoslav
People's Army (JNA) heads, leaders of the federal authorities and
local Serbs, focusing on a cease-fire in Croatia and bringing in UN
peace troops.
At the meetings, Okun took notes which were later used as a basis for
Vance's reports to the UN secretary-general. Nine volumes of these
notes were introduced as evidence in the trial against Milosevic.
Speaking about the said meetings, Okun said Milosevic had had
factual control over the JNA and the rump Yugoslav Presidency, and
was definitely a man who controlled things.
Presiding judge Richard May said nobody had stated this as clearly
as Okun had.
Okun described how Milosevic, at a meeting on November 18, 1991, had
accepted Vance's suggestion for bringing in UN peace troops into
Croatia, thus assuming commitment on behalf of the JNA, Serb
paramilitary troops and local Serb authorities.
Milan Babic and Goran Hadzic, Serb leaders in Croatia, would not
present a problem for the peace operation, the witness quoted
Milosevic.
The former American diplomat also spoke about the withdrawal of
Serbia from a European Commission conference on Yugoslavia in
October 1991 and its refusal of the conference chairman, Lord
Carrington's, peace plan.
This was a heavy blow to the conference and a signal that only Serbia
wanted to continue the war, said Okun.
The witness also spoke about the visit of Cyrus Vance and himself to
Vukovar on November 19, 1991, when, as he had written down, they
were shocked with the extent to which the town was destroyed and
citizens killed and wounded, while the JNA barracks, the alleged
reason for attacking the town, was almost intact.
Okun confirmed that the border between Serbia and Croatia had been
strictly controlled by the JNA and local Serb militia from the
Croatian side of the border.
(hina) lml