THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 21 (Hina) - Ex-Slovene President Milan Kucan on Wednesday testified about the crisis and break-up of socialist Yugoslavia (SFRY), Slovenia's steps towards independence and 10-day war with the SFRY army at the
trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic at the Hague war crimes tribunal.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 21 (Hina) - Ex-Slovene President Milan Kucan
on Wednesday testified about the crisis and break-up of socialist
Yugoslavia (SFRY), Slovenia's steps towards independence and 10-
day war with the SFRY army at the trial of former Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic at the Hague war crimes tribunal. #L#
As the first Slovene witness at the trial, Kucan described the
"political and economic crisis, and the crisis of social values
which beset the SFRY in the late '80s, and the need for changes".
He explained the concept of separation which had been offered by
Slovenia and Croatia, and the opposing Belgrade concept of a Serb
state, which envisaged changes to SFRY republics' borders.
In 1989, instead of constitutional, the Serb leadership imposed
personnel changes through mass rallies, thus changing leaderships
in Vojvodina and Montenegro, said Kucan. He added a similar rally
had been planned to take place in Ljubljana, and voiced suspicion in
the spontaneity of such rallies.
Kucan said that in January 1991, at the 20th session of the Yugoslav
Communist Alliance (SKJ) Central Committee, Milosevic announced
changes would be effected "through institutional or non-
institutional means, by respecting the Constitution or without
it". He also spoke about Milosevic's announcements that all means,
including force, would be resorted to, about Serbia outvoting the
other republics with three votes in the SFRY Presidency, and the
refusal of the federal army's top brass to recognise the
Presidency's authority.
Kucan also spoke about the split at the 14th SKJ congress when
"Slovenia's legitimate and just proposals were brutally outvoted".
During that vote, Milosevic was the first to raise his card,
followed by the others, Kucan said, adding the Slovene delegation
left the conference, while Ivica Racan asked that it end, which
eventually happened.
The applause with which the Slovenes were showed out was proof that
the participants in the congress "did not realise that that was the
break-up and the announcement of the end of Yugoslavia as a state,"
said Kucan.
The testimony about the congress was accompanied by a BBC feature on
the death of Yugoslavia, containing statements by Racan, Kucan, and
Milosevic.
Kucan also testified about the disarmament of the Slovene
Territorial Defence, ordered by the Yugoslav People's Army's (JNA)
top brass. He explained the steps taken after a December 1990
referendum on independence and Slovenia's wish "to regulate
relations with the other republics by consensus".
Independence was declared on 25 June 1991, when JNA tanks left
barracks in the direction of Slovenia's western border.
The 10-day clashes were terminated on July 7, with an accord reached
at the Brijuni islands with the mediation of the European Troika,
Kucan said, adding the JNA withdrew from Slovenia over the next
three months.
Several times during the testimony, the prosecutor asked that Kucan
confirm the authenticity of claims Borislav Jovic and Veljko
Kadijevic made in their memoirs concerning said events. Kucan
corroborated Kadijevic's claims about the Virovitica-Karlovac-
Karlobag line as the border conceived for a "reduced Yugoslavia".
Kucan said that at that time, the West did not accept the proposal to
control the break-up of the SFRY (Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia) "because of the bad example of the USSR's break-up".
Cross-examining Kucan, Milosevic said Serbia had not been linked to
the JNA's attack on Slovenia but that the attack was legitimate.
Kucan contested the legitimacy of the military intervention.
Milosevic ascribed the guilt for Yugoslavia's disintegration to
the secession of Slovenia, "with help from Germany, Austria, and
the Vatican", which Kucan resolutely dismissed, stating that
"Slovenia lawfully realised its right to self-determination"
without international interference.
Milosevic accused Kucan and Slovenia of "attacking the JNA" and of
breaches of international humanitarian law allegedly recorded
during the 10-day war. Speaking calmly, Kucan denied virtually
every assertion by Milosevic.
The defendant said that 44 JNA members were killed and 184 wounded
in Slovenia. As evidence, he offered the tribunal a "white paper" on
crimes committed by Slovene troops.
Kucan stated that 37 JNA soldiers were killed in the conflict, eight
from Slovenia's Territorial Defence, four policemen, six Slovene
civilians, and six foreigners. He dismissed the "white paper" as
the JNA's "propaganda brochure". The trial chamber did not accept
the document.
Milosevic then insisted on individual crimes, such as "the
execution of three captured JNA soldiers at Holmec". Kucan said the
Slovene side respected humanitarian law but conceded that excesses
were possible.
Slovenia's judiciary conducted investigations and the documents
may be delivered to the tribunal, he said.
Milosevic also accused Slovenia of having participated in arming
Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo Albanians.
Amici curiae expressed regret that the testimony of a witness as
significant as Kucan had been squeezed into just one day, and asked
that Kucan be called again. The trial chamber, however, did not do
so.
(hina) ha sb