THE HAGUE, Feb 12 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Chief Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, at Slobodan Milosevic's trial before the ICTY on Tuesday said the indictment against the ex-Yugoslav
head of state was in the interest of the international public and added the trial was not against a nation, but against an individual responsible for unspeakable suffering of hundred thousands of people. The quest for power is what motivated Slobodan Milosevic, Del Ponte said. "An excellent tactician, a mediocre strategist, Milosevic did nothing but pursue his ambition at the cost of unspeakable suffering inflicted on those who opposed him or represented a threat for his personal strategy of power," she said. "Beyond the nationalist pretexts and the horrors of ethnic cleansing, behind the grandiloquent rhetoric and the hackneyed phrases, the quest for power is what m
THE HAGUE, Feb 12 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for
the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Chief Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, at
Slobodan Milosevic's trial before the ICTY on Tuesday said the
indictment against the ex-Yugoslav head of state was in the
interest of the international public and added the trial was not
against a nation, but against an individual responsible for
unspeakable suffering of hundred thousands of people.
The quest for power is what motivated Slobodan Milosevic, Del Ponte
said.
"An excellent tactician, a mediocre strategist, Milosevic did
nothing but pursue his ambition at the cost of unspeakable
suffering inflicted on those who opposed him or represented a
threat for his personal strategy of power," she said.
"Beyond the nationalist pretexts and the horrors of ethnic
cleansing, behind the grandiloquent rhetoric and the hackneyed
phrases, the quest for power is what motivated Slobodan Milosevic,"
the Chief Prosecutor said in her opening statement.
The trial against Milosevic, who is charged with crimes against
humanity in Croatia in 1991-92, genocide in the 1992-95 Bosnian war
and crimes against humanity in Kosovo in 1999, started at 9.30AM on
Tuesday. The trial is chaired by British judge Richard May.
?Milosevic arrived in the court room several minutes before the
beginning of the trial with four guards.
During del Ponte's introduction, the expression of Milosevic's
face was serious and sullen. No members of Milosevic's family were
spotted in a full gallery from where the trial was observed by
reporters, diplomats and other senior officials.
In her opening statement, del Ponte reminded this trial was against
an individual and not a nation.
Today's trial is not against a country or an organisation - the
indictments are not against the entire nation, del Ponte stressed.
"This tribunal, and this trial in particular, give the most
powerful demonstration that no one is above the law or beyond the
reach of international justice," she said and added this was the
most important trial in the ICTY so far.
Del Ponte said the trial would evoke the tragic destiny of thousands
of Croat, Bosnian and Kosovo victims, as well as Serbs from Croatia
and Bosnia whom Milosevic used to implement his criminal plan.
The ICTY Chief Prosecutor stressed, the Prosecution would bring a
series of senior political and military officials, diplomats and
other senior representatives and added the trial would be a test of
the determination of countries, not only those from the territory
of the former Yugoslavia, to cooperate with the tribunal. She added
representatives of countries would be called to share delicate
information.
Hundreds of reporters came to The Hague to cover Milosevic's trial,
including stars such as CNN's Christiana Amanpour.
The Prosecution will present evidence for Kosovo, which has to be
completed by the summer. The tribunal also ordered that the
presentation of evidence for Bosnia and Croatia must start by July
1.
(hina) it sb