CROATIAN PRESIDENT ENDS HIS TESTIMONY AT MILOSEVIC TRIAL BEFORE ICTY

THE HAGUE, Oct 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Thursday ended his testimony in the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the Hague-based war crimes tribunal with a statement that he always advocated positive discrimination of minorities and that his policy never leaned on intimidation due to someone's ethical origins. #L# During the last half-hour of cross-examination, Milosevic tried to discredit the Croatian President and prove the role of Croatian authorities in the persecution of Croatian Serbs and the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Milosevic also cited the suffering of Serbs in Jasenovac. Presiding judge May warned Milosevic that he could not revolve around the same question all the time, reminding him that the witness answered this question yesterday. During today's cross-examination, Judge May once again tried to get Milosevic to ask relevant question and limit his monologues. The last question Milosevic forwarded to President Mesic today was: "I can see that you've very well memorised this badly composed indictment. Do you believe, working for this illegal court, that you can avoid responsibility for crimes?" Milosevic was interrupted by Judge May who let the amicus curiae, attorney Branislav Tapuskovic, to continue to cross-examine the witness. Tapuskovic's questions referred to events from World Wars I and II. He tried to prove the suffering of Serbs. Judge May interrupted him saying that such questions could not help the Trial Chamber. Prosecutor Geoffrey Nice asked Mesic about the Bobetko case. He asked Mesic whether he, from the first moment, advocated the extradition of Croatian Homeland War soldiers. "I regard that Croatia has a constitutional law on cooperation with the Hague-based Tribunal and that it must cooperate at all times", Mesic said and added that Croatian government had the right to use all legal instruments which in its opinion were necessary. (hina) it sb