ICTY PROSECUTION HAS 100 MORE DAYS FOR EVIDENCE AGAINST MILOSEVIC

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 20 (Hina) - The trial chamber of the Hague- based U.N. war crimes tribunal (ICTY) on Tuesday granted the prosecution in the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic another 100 days to present evidence. #L# The chamber believes that it is in the interest of justice to amend its original decision and grant the prosecution an additional 100 days for presenting evidence, said the chamber president, judge Richard May. The original deadline in which the prosecution was to present its evidence expired on May 16 when the 100 days will start running. The witness list will not be changed, May said. The chief prosecutor in the case, Geoffrey Nice, asked for an additional 119 days and announced the testimonies of another 128 of the total of 169 witnesses in the process of presenting evidence against Milosevic for genocide in Bosnia and war crimes in Croatia. The prosecution should complete this process in January 2004. If Milosevic, who is defending himself, is granted the same number of days for presenting his evidence, the trial will last at least three more years. The trial began in January 2002. (hina) lml