THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Nov 11 (Hina) - Expert witness on history Robert Donia on Tuesday testified at the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Nov 11 (Hina) - Expert witness on history Robert
Donia on Tuesday testified at the trial of former Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic before the UN war crimes tribunal at
The Hague. #L#
Donia said that Bosnian Serb leaders and the defendant had the same
objective - a unified Serbian state.
Donia gave his deposition in mid September when Milosevic started
to cross-examining him. The trial was adjourned due to the
defendant's condition and the cross-examination was completed
today. As a witness for the prosecution, Donia analysed the minutes
from a session of the Republika Srpska Assembly which was
introduced as evidence. Donia dismissed Milosevic's claims that
the authorities in Belgrade never talked about a Greater Serbia and
that his advocacy of the Vance-Owen plan is a proof that there had
been no territorial pretensions towards Bosnia.
The witness said he did not agree with Milosevic's interpretation,
adding that the objective of the Republika Srpska leadership was
the creation of a community entirely cleared of Croats and Bosniaks
and its integration with the rest of the Serb territory.
He cited the speech Milosevic delivered before the Republika Srpska
Assembly during which he said that the adoption of the Vance-Owen
plan and the consolidation of the Serb authorities were "a
reasonable way to the realisation of the objective".
The witness said that for the defendant and the Republika Srpska
leadership the objective was a unified Serbian state.
Milosevic tried to used the expert's analysis to get an amnesty for
crimes committed in Srebrenica, one of the crucial counts of his
indictment for genocide in Bosnia. The defendant said that in 1993
Radovan Karadzic warned that a massacre could take place in
Srebrenica which was contrary to Serb interests.
Karadzic warned this would jeopardise the international
recognition of Republika Srpska, Donia explained and added that in
the summer of 1995 the situation was changed after which the attack
on Srebrenica was launched in order to preserve territory.
Milosevic continued washing his hands of the slaughter of more than
7,000 Bosniak during the testimony of protected witness for the
prosecution B-1399 who survived the execution after the fall of
Srebrenica.
"When it comes to Srebrenica I have nothing to defend myself from,
Serbia had nothing to do with Srebrenica," Milosevic said.
"How can you say that when you advocated the idea - all Serbs in one
country - during the entire war," witness B-1399 said.
Milosevic then insisted that there was a large number of soldiers
from the Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Srebrenica, the 28th
mountain division with five brigades, but the witness said he had
only seen about 200-300 armed men.
When it comes to the executions, Milosevic said one must make a
difference between the Republika Srpska Army and the groups which
committed the crime.
Before cross-examining witness B-1399, Milosevic completed the
cross-examination of protected witness B-1097 who testified about
the execution of some 600 detainees in the Serb-ran camp in Karakaj
in eastern Bosnia in 1992.
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