ASHDOWN: I WARNED MILOSEVIC THAT HE COULD BE INDICTED

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - British politician Paddy Ashdown told the UN war crimes Tribunal in The Hague (ICTY) on Friday that he warned ex-Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic over three years ago that he will be indicted for war crimes, if he continues with the mass persecution of Kosovo Albanians.#L# Ashdown, who took the witness stand on Thursday afternoon, said that on September 29, 1998, during an hour long meeting in Belgrade, he warned Milosevic that Yugoslav army operations against Albanians in Kosovo were unselective and they aimed at the persecution of the Kosovo residents. Ashdown said the operations were completely military unjustifiable and counter-productive. They caused damage to the reputation of Serbs, he said. During his testimony, Ashdown cited international documents, such as the ICTY Statute and Geneva Conventions, which were violated during Yugoslav operations in Kosovo. After several days in Kosovo, Ashdown met Milosevic and gave him a letter of British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In the letter, Blair expressed deep concern over the worsening of the situation in Kosovo and unacceptable consequences of the use of the force against civilians who had to flee their homes. The ICTY Prosecution introduced the letter as evidence. The Prosecutor's Office wants to prove that the former Yugoslav President had received warnings about harsh violations of the international law. According to the Prosecution, Milosevic was obliged to prevent the violations, or to assume responsibility. Ashdown told the ICTY he had visited the regions of Suva Reka and Drenica before Belgrade. He said he had witness a great number of villages which had been burned during Yugoslav Army operations and a great number of expelled civilians who told him they had to flee their homes due to the threats of the Serb army. Ashdown said Serb police had tried to remove him from the area giving him an explanation that operations against terrorists were being conducted. He said he had received the same explanation from Milosevic at the meeting, but based on his military experience he dismissed such explanations and told Milosevic about it. Ashdown said that during his visit to Kosovo, he had witness numerous military operations against civilians, even though Milosevic told international representatives that operation against terrorists had already been completed. The British diplomat said he used the meeting to warn Milosevic that the international community could launch a military operation against Serbia. During the cross-examination, Ashdown said he was aware of terrorist activities of the Kosovo Liberation Army, but he told Milosevic that nothing can justify the operations of Yugoslav forces against Kosovo civilians. Milosevic insisted that Ashdown voices his opinion whether ' NATO's aggression" on Serbia represented the violation of international conventions and the UN Charter. Ashdown said no. (hina) it sb