JNA GENERAL TESTIFIES ABOUT PROVISION OF HELP TO REBEL SERBS AT MILOSEVIC TRIAL

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 10 (Hina) - General Miroslav Djordjevic, who was at the Serbian defence ministry in charge of co-ordinating assistance to rebel Serb paramilitary troops in Croatia, on Monday took the witness stand in the trial of Slobodan Milosevic. #L# Djordjevic is only one in a line of "insider" witnesses called by the prosecution in the Croatian part of proceedings. The general said that in October 1991 he was appointed head of a co- ordinating group for the occupied Croatian Krajina region at the Serbian defence ministry. The task of the group, which comprised a dozen senior officers of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), was to act as mediator between the local Serb Territorial Defence (TO) of Krajina, Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Srijem with the Serbian defence ministry, and then with the federal defence ministry and JNA military districts, said the witness. Other tasks were to appoint officers into the TO general staffs of Serb-controlled regions, logistic support and organisation of TO units, as well as to prepare TO headquarters for the arrival of UN peace troops. He confirmed that active JNA officers -- generals and lieutenant colonels -- paid by the JNA had been transferred to TO headquarters. Explaining the system of logistic support to rebel Croatian Serbs, the general said that one third of some 40,000 TO members had been members of and were under command of the military district. Two thirds of the troops, organised by municipalities, turned to the Serbian defence ministry for material assistance. Decisions on logistic support were made at the highest level at the federal defence ministry, said Djordjevic. The prosecutor introduced a number of documents which speak about the courses of material, technical and financial assistance from Serbian authorities to occupied areas of Croatia. Milosevic was Serbian president at the time. Milosevic will cross-examine the witness tomorrow. (hina) lml sb