THE HAGUE, Sept 25 (Hina) - With the revived interest of the world media, the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina will start before the Hague war crimes tribunal at 9
am on Thursday.
THE HAGUE, Sept 25 (Hina) - With the revived interest of the world
media, the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
for war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina will start before
the Hague war crimes tribunal at 9 am on Thursday. #L#
The prosecution, which will start calling witnesses immediately
after their opening statements, should prove that Milosevic had the
crucial role in the persecution of Croats, Muslims and other non-
Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The office of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic last week said that
one of the first witnesses at the trial would be President Mesic,
whom Milosevic in February called "the famous wrecker of
Yugoslavia".
The prosecution will have to prove that Milosevic ordered and
helped the Croatian Serb political leadership in coming to power
and subsequently expelling the non-Serb population with the help of
regular and irregular military forces, including the JNA and
Serbian police, whom he provided with financial and logistic
support. The same charges will have to be proved in case of Bosnia.
As was the case with numerous victims in the Kosovo part of the
trial, who had to prove that crimes actually took place since
Milosevic claimed that there had been no organised persecution of
Albanians, who he claimed had fled NATO bombings and attacks by
"Albanian terrorists", the Hague prosecution will have to prove
that crimes did happen in Croatia and Bosnia, in the context of
creation of Great Serbia.
At the beginning of the Kosovo trial Milosevic said that the civil
war in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina was "the consequence of
instigation of hatred from outside and the result of the decision
and interest of big powers".
In February he accused Croatia of causing the war in order to rid its
territory of ethnic Serbs.
The war in Croatia was caused by Croat provocations in Borovo Selo
and Plitvice, Milosevic said, adding that Croatian Serbs had
responded only by setting up barricades to protect their
territory.
"As everyone knows, barricades cannot be a means of aggression,"
Milosevic said, dismissing claims by the prosecution about
Belgrade's intentions.
Croatia could have gained independence without war, but without it,
it would not have been possible to "kill and expel 600,000 Serbs",
he said.
Along with the actual context of crimes in Croatia, the prosecution
is also to prove the connection between Milosevic and the crimes,
which is to be achieved by calling into evidence numerous secret
recordings of Milosevic's conversations with his closest
associates, as well as the official decisions of Croatian and
Bosnian Serb institutions, and by calling politicians to testify.
The prosecutors expect that the largest part of evidence for crimes
in Croatia will be presented by the end of the year, after which
evidence for crimes in Bosnia will be presented. The prosecution
intends to call around 60 witnesses by Christmas and New Year
holidays.
The pace of the trial could be slightly slower as suggested by
doctors before the summer due to Milosevic's problems with high
blood pressure.
The trial chamber has ruled that the prosecution can call a total of
177 witnesses, of whom 71 will testify in the part of the indictment
referring to Croatia.
The presentation of evidence will have to be completed by May 16,
2003, after which Milosevic will present his defence.
The trial of the former Yugoslav president started on February 12
this year with the presentation of evidence for crimes committed in
Kosovo.
Milosevic is indicted for genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and
crimes against humanity, the violation of the laws and customs of
war and grave breaches of the Geneva conventions in Croatia and
Kosovo.
(hina) rml