THE HAGUE, July 3 (Hina) - Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic said during his initial appearance at the Hague war crimes tribunal on Tuesday morning he considered the tribunal "false" and therefore felt no need to appoint
legal counsel. The panel of judges, presided over by British Judge Richard May, recorded Milosevic's refusal to enter his plea as a plea of not guilty to all counts of the indictment and scheduled the next hearing for August 27. Escorted by two guards, Milosevic entered the courtroom of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) shortly before 10 a.m. With a serious and calm expression on his face, wearing a dark blue suit and a blue-and-red striped tie, he took a seat at the defendant's chair and spent the time until the arrival of the judges looking around the courtroom and inspecting the gallery, which was full of reporters. Dressed in a black toga, Chi
THE HAGUE, July 3 (Hina) - Former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic said during his initial appearance at the Hague war
crimes tribunal on Tuesday morning he considered the tribunal
"false" and therefore felt no need to appoint legal counsel.
The panel of judges, presided over by British Judge Richard May,
recorded Milosevic's refusal to enter his plea as a plea of not
guilty to all counts of the indictment and scheduled the next
hearing for August 27.
Escorted by two guards, Milosevic entered the courtroom of the
International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
shortly before 10 a.m. With a serious and calm expression on his
face, wearing a dark blue suit and a blue-and-red striped tie, he
took a seat at the defendant's chair and spent the time until the
arrival of the judges looking around the courtroom and inspecting
the gallery, which was full of reporters.
Dressed in a black toga, Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte sat at the
opposite end of the courtroom, waiting for the judges to enter and
studying the materials in front of her and frequently looking up at
the former Yugoslav president.
Although he previously said that he did not recognise the tribunal,
at 10 a.m., when the three-member panel of judges entered the
courtroom, Milosevic, like all the others in the courtroom and
gallery, stood up.
Judge May started the 15-minute hearing by introducing the
prosecution team, headed by del Ponte, and then explained to
Milosevic the procedure under which he was still able to appoint
counsel and asked him if he needed time to think about it.
"I consider this Tribunal a false tribunal and the indictment a
false indictment," Milosevic said in English, adding the court was
illegal because it was not established by the U.N. General
Assembly.
"I have no need to appoint counsel to an illegal organisation," he
said, to which Judge May answered he would have enough time to
contest the court's jurisdiction if he wished so.
After he told the judges that it was "their problem" when asked if he
wanted the entire indictment to be read out in court, the panel of
judges decided that he waived his right to have the indictment
read.
Asked to enter his plea to his charges, Milosevic said in Serbian
that "this trial's aim is to produce false justification for the war
crimes committed by NATO in Yugoslavia."
After this, the judges decided to record his answer as a plea of not
guilty to all counts of the indictment.
After Milosevic attempted to repeat his statement that the ICTY was
a false tribunal, May told him it was not the time for speeches and
that he would have time to present his defence.
Contrary to claims by two Belgrade attorneys, Milosevic did not
read out his statement at the hearing. It has been announced that
attorneys Dragan Krgovic and Zdenko Tomanovic will inform
reporters about the content of his statement.
Milosevic was escorted to the tribunal building about two hours
before the start of the hearing. This is the first time the public
saw Milosevic since his arrest in Belgrade on April 1.
Tight security measures, introduced the day before his initial
appearance, were even stricter on the day of Milosevic's arrival at
the courtroom. All entering the building were thoroughly frisked.
In 1999 Milosevic and four of his closest associates were charged
for crimes against humanity and violations of the law or customs of
war committed against Kosovo Albanians in 1999.
Milosevic has been indicted together with the incumbent Serbian
President Milan Milutinovic, a former Yugoslav Vice-Premier,
Nikola Sainovic, a former Serbian Interior Minister, Vlajko
Stojiljkovic, and a former Yugoslav Army commander, General
Dragoljub Ojdanic.
The Hague prosecution has announced that the indictment against
Milosevic will soon be extended to include crimes committed in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.
Milosevic was handed over and transferred to the Scheveningen
detention centre near The Hague on the night between Thursday and
Friday. In line with a decision of the prosecution, he will be
isolated from other Serb prisoners until July 27 to avoid possible
conflict of interest.
Milosevic's wife Mirjana Markovic has not arrived in The
Netherlands, nor were his children Marko and Marija present at
today's hearing.
(hina) rml