THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 1 (Hina) - The U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague on Thursday considered a request for the temporary release of former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, who is charged with war crimes committed in
Kosovo.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 1 (Hina) - The U.N. war crimes tribunal at The
Hague on Thursday considered a request for the temporary release of
former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, who is charged with war
crimes committed in Kosovo. #L#
Milutinovic is listed on a joint indictment, filed in May 1999, with
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and another three top
Yugoslav officials. Milutinovic was Serbia's president from 1997
until the end of his term, 29 December 2002. He has been in detention
in The Hague since January 20 this year.
The governments of Serbia and the former Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia (FRY) gave written guarantees for his temporary
release. The guarantees were recently approved by the Serbia and
Montenegro (SCG) government, whose representative was in court
today.
The central question of today's deliberation, which resumes
tomorrow, was whether Milutinovic should be regarded as a person
who voluntarily surrendered to the tribunal, as the defence and the
SCG representative maintain, or a fugitive, as argued by the
prosecution.
John Livingstone, Milutinovic's attorney, said his client's
surrender was late because of his role in the democratic transfer of
authority in Serbia and the continuity and stability of the state in
the shaky period after Milosevic was deposed.
Citing reasons to temporarily release Milutinovic, Livingstone
mentioned his client's impressive biography and heart trouble
caused by angina pectoris.
SCG representative Slavoljub Caric mentioned the positive
experience with previously released defendants, such as Biljana
Plavsic and Pavle Strugar, his country's improving cooperation
with the Hague tribunal and willingness to arrest all accused of war
crimes currently on its territory.
The prosecution objected to releasing Milutinovic, stating that he
refused to turn himself in when he enjoyed government immunity.
A representative for the prosecution quoted Milutinovic from a
Reuters interview in which he described the Hague tribunal as an
artificial political creation which was prosecuting an entire
people and which he did not recognise.
Milosevic, Milutinovic, FRY Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic,
FRY military chief-of-staff Dragoljub Ojdanic, and FRY Interior
Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic are charged with crimes against
humanity, violations of the laws and customs of war caused by forced
deportations, murders, and the persecution of Albanians in Kosovo.
About 800,000 ethnic Albanians were expelled and an unidentified
number killed in a campaign of terror and violence the military and
police of Serbia and FRY carried out in Kosovo in March and April of
1999.
(hina) ha sb