THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 2 (Hina) - An American expert on statistics, Patrick Boll, on Friday gave an additional testimony in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague (ICTY).
Boll confirmed that NATO attacks on Yugoslavia had stopped the murder and mass persecution of Kosovo Albanians in the spring of 1999.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 2 (Hina) - An American expert on statistics,
Patrick Boll, on Friday gave an additional testimony in the trial of
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at the U.N. war crimes
tribunal in The Hague (ICTY). Boll confirmed that NATO attacks on
Yugoslavia had stopped the murder and mass persecution of Kosovo
Albanians in the spring of 1999. #L#
Last March, Boll presented the ICTY with a statistical analysis of
relations between the NATO actions and the killing and persecution
of Kosovo Albanians in the period from March 24 until early June
1999. The analysis established a negative correlation between the
attacks and the murders.
The witness concluded that as NATO attacks were being stepped up at
the end of May and early June 1999, there were less murders and
migrations, while at the start of the NATO campaign at the end of
March and beginning of April, the killings and migrations were more
massive.
Boll said the analysis suggested, but did not prove, the connection
between the actions of Yugoslav authorities and the murder of
Albanians.
Cross-examinining the witness, Milosevic attempted to diminish the
importance of the analysis, stressing that the American Bar
Association's Central and Eastern Europe initiative (ABA - CELLI)
had voiced reservation towards it, assessing that it was not legal
expertise, but data for educational and information purposes.
The trial was closed to the public during the testimony of a
protected witness for the prosecution. The witness's identity has
been fully protected, meaning that not even the number under which
he is registered was issued to the media.
The trial against Milosevic on the counts of war crimes in Croatia
and genocide in Bosnia is currently in the last phase of the
presentation of evidence in the Croatian part of the trial. Late
last month the prosecution started bringing out the first witnesses
to war crimes in Bosnia, filling in voids in the testimony
schedule.
Due to adjournments of the trial caused by Milosevic's health
problems, the prosecution was granted an additional 54 working
days, and the deadline to complete the presentation of evidence was
moved up to September 5.
The prosecution has so far spent 180 trial days on the presentation
of evidence in the cases of Croatia and Bosnia, and last week asked
for an additional 117 days.
The trial continues on Monday.
(hina) lml sb