ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - Kosovo Albanian journalist Veton Surroi, who on Friday resumed his testimony in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, dismissed
Milosevic's claim that Albanians had conducted a systematic campaign of violence in Kosovo.
ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - Kosovo Albanian journalist Veton Surroi,
who on Friday resumed his testimony in the trial of former Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic before the U.N. war crimes tribunal in
The Hague, dismissed Milosevic's claim that Albanians had
conducted a systematic campaign of violence in Kosovo. #L#
"There was no state on the Albanian side, nor was there a vertical
command structure or an organisation which would be able to
organise systematic violence," Surroi said. However, the other
hand, he said, had armed forces with a vertical chain of command
which systematically destroyed Kosovo.
Surroi accused Milosevic's authorities of having conducted "state
terrorism" in Kosovo during 1998 and 1999. That terrorism was
stopped by NATO's bombings, which, Surroi said, "brought Albanians
freedom".
The Albanian journalist confirmed that discrimination against
Albanians "absolutely existed" in Yugoslavia.
Asked by Milosevic if he considered the Kosovo Liberation Army a
terrorist organisation, Surroi said that he considered it a
guerrilla.
He also said that Milosevic's ideology towards Kosovo Albanians was
"fascist".
"Any ideology which leads to the persecution and killing of people
because of their nationality is fascist," Surroi said while being
cross-examined by Milosevic.
The journalist also told Milosevic that his policy of persecution
had prompted the establishment of the KLA.
Surroi started his testimony on Thursday.
Milosevic has accused the witness of having reported untruths
during his journalistic career and of having acted on orders from
the United States in politics.
(hina) rml sb