KOSOVO ALBANIAN LEADER CONTINUES TESTIMONY AT MILOSEVIC TRIAL

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 6 (Hina) - Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova on Monday dismissed former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's claims that three years ago Milosevic protected Rugova from an attempted assassination, behind which stood the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). #L# "I was never afraid that Albanians would kill me," Rugova told the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague while Milosevic cross-examined him. Milosevic has said several times that the Kosovo Albanian leader requested protection from part of the KLA in 1999, namely an assassination organised by one of the KLA commanders, Hashim Thaci, to which end Milosevic organised Rugova's departure to Italy that May. "Look me in the eyes and answer if that is correct," said Milosevic. "That is not correct. I don't want to make any insults here, but that is a complete lie," Rugova answered, staring in front of himself, as he did throughout his testimony, which began last Friday. Several times during the NATO air raids on Yugoslavia in 1999, Rugova was taken to Belgrade for meetings with Milosevic. Rugova said he asked Milosevic to put him and his family out of house arrest, under which they were put since the beginning of the NATO raids that March. Rugova was released that May, thanks to pressure from the international community, and went to Italy with his family. Part of the Kosovo public looked upon his meetings with Yugoslav and Serbian officials as a coalition with Belgrade. Rugova said that statements and photographs from those meetings were released without his consent and were aimed at compromising him politically. Trial chamber president Richard May intervened several times during the cross-examination, interrupting Milosevic by telling him he could not use his part of the proceedings for political speeches. Milosevic is charged with crimes committed against 800,000 Kosovo Albanians during 1999. (hina) ha sb