MILOSEVIC CONTESTS WITNESS EVIDENCE

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 28 (Hina) - Cross-examining a Kosovo Albanian human rights activist, Halit Barani, before the Hague war crimes tribunal, former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic dismissed the authenticity of a list with the names of Kosovo Albanians who were to be executed and a list of alleged members of Serb paramilitary units in a Kosovo village. Commenting on the list of alleged paramilitaries, Milosevic said the document the prosecution had "presented in such a sensationalist manner" was in fact a list of reserve forces in the village of Svinjare. "It says here clearly - the list of reserve forces of the village of Svinjare... where does it say that this is a list of a paramilitary formation?," said Milosevic raising the document in the air. He explained to the panel of judges that all persons who had served military service under the country's laws were members of reserve forces which could be mobilised. He added that the names of the reserve troops were accompanied by the name of their employer so that their companies could be compensated for their being absent from work. Milosevic said the document entitled "The List of Albanians to be Summarily Executed" was a forgery, claiming it contained errors in writing that were typical of Albanians speaking Serbian. "Three persons from the list were killed," Barani said defending the document. He reiterated that the document had been discovered in the building of the Kosovska Mitrovica municipal authorities. Additionally cross-examining the witness, Prosecutor Geoffrey Nice showed the judges the original of the "execution list", and asked the witness to confirm that there were no Albanian names on the list of alleged paramilitary units. Milosevic has been indicted with crimes against humanity in Kosovo. (hina) sb rml