THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - A former European Union peace mediator for the former Yugoslavia, Lord David Owen, on Monday testified at the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic about Milosevic's unwillingness to
force Bosnian Serb leaders in 1993 to accept a peace plan which could have ended the war in the country two years earlier.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - A former European Union peace
mediator for the former Yugoslavia, Lord David Owen, on Monday
testified at the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic about Milosevic's unwillingness to force Bosnian Serb
leaders in 1993 to accept a peace plan which could have ended the war
in the country two years earlier. #L#
Owen said he believed that Milosevic had made a big mistake by not
using his indisputable authority to impose the proposed solution on
Bosnian Serbs. "If Milosevic had done it himself... we could have
brought peace to Bosnia two years earlier," Owen said at the UN war
crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Owen believes that the continuation of the war, ethnic cleansing
and killing during nearly three years of peace negotiations was the
most tragic fact.
A co-chairman of the Peace Conference on the former Yugoslavia from
1992 to 1995, Owen and US diplomat Cyprus Vance drew up a peace plan
for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which fell through due to refusal by the
Serbs.
Owen was subpoenaed to the trial of the former Yugoslav president as
a witness for the trial chamber and not the prosecution, but his
appearance in the courtroom was used best by the prosecution, which
proved that the public support of the accused to the Vance-Owen plan
was a deceit which Owen, too, had fallen for.
In a written statement that was introduced in the evidence file,
Owen stated that Milosevic and the Bosnian Serb leadership went
their separate ways and that Milosevic blockaded Serb-held areas of
Bosnia-Herzegovina and even gave up his project of a Great Serbia
due to the Serbs' refusal of the Vance-Owen plan in 1993.
Citing transcripts which were previously introduced as evidence,
prosecutor Geoffrey Nice said that Milosevic had never given up the
project of a united Serb state and that the blockade was fake.
Milosevic's statement before the council in charge of harmonising
the policies of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Republika
Srpska and the (rebel Croatian Serbs') Republic of Serb Krajina
that Serb-held areas "have already been integrated and it only
remains to legalise their status" and (Bosnian Serb military
leader) Ratko Mladic's statement in the Bosnian Serb parliament
about thousands of tons of ammunition arriving from Yugoslavia at
the time of the border blockade surprised Lord Owen, who said that
he actually did not know about them and might have been in the
wrong.
He said that the Bosnian Serb army could not have survived without
logistic support from Yugoslavia, but that Milosevic did not want
to do anything that could have led to the Serbs' defeat.
Along with weapons and military equipment, Yugoslavia also sent oil
to Bosnian Serbs, and once that line of supply was threatened, they
bought oil from the Croatian government, Owen said.
The witness confirmed that Milosevic had known that Serbian forces
were operating in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but that he categorically
denied their involvement. Owen added that Milosevic and other
leaders in the former Yugoslavia had been telling him untruths.
During the testimony, Owen also spoke about Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman in the context of his agreement with Milosevic to
divide Bosnia-Herzegovina and his not hiding his wish to seize
parts of the neighbouring country. Stating that he did not agree
with Tudjman about many things, Owen said that Tudjman had
effectively controlled the negotiating position of Mate Boban,
unlike Milosevic, who he said did not try to influence Radovan
Karadzic with the same determination.
Owen also spoke about Milosevic's financial transactions in Cyprus
and other off-shore zones, stating that he acted as a narco-boss.
Commenting on Milosevic's attitude towards Kosovo, he said that the
Kosovo theme was his power base in Belgrade and was non-negotiable
for him.
The former peace mediator also spoke about Serb paramilitary forces
and media control, which he said Milosevic had inherited from
Tito.
Speaking about Srebrenica, he said that the accused had foreseen a
bloodbath back in 1993, as retaliation for the killing of Serb
civilians in Bratunac, and added that there were not many people in
Srebrenica who were not guilty of anything.
Cross-examining the witness, Milosevic tried to prove that he did
not deceive Owen and other peace mediators, claiming that he was
being blamed for not imposing something on the neighbouring state
(the Bosnian Serb entity).
He said that other countries had helped Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Croatia, so "why should not Serbia help the Serbs?".
He dedicated much of his time to the importance of the Bosnian
government propaganda, especially TV images of the besieged
Sarajevo.
Owen said the propaganda campaign was conducted by the then Bosnian
deputy prime minister Ejup Ganic, who had estimated that there
would be no fair solution for Bosniaks unless the US got involved
militarily.
That proved correct, and in August and September 1995 the United
States used force, which changed the situation, Owen said.
Owen resumes his testimony on Tuesday.
(hina) rml sb