BELGRADE, Oct 10 (Hina) - Borisav Jovic, a former chairman of the collective presidency of the ex-Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), is "surprised" by the quotation of his name in an indictment which the UN war crime
tribunal (ICTY) issued against Slobodan Milosevic charging him with war crimes in Croatia. "These are blanket and groundless accusations," Jovic was quoted by a TV station , B-92, as saying on late Tuesday night. He admitted that "on the ground there might have been persecution of non-Serb population, but the (then) Yugoslav authorities had no connection with it." He reiterated that he was surprised and asserted that he used all of his powers to prevent the conflict and find a peaceful resolution. "It was absolutely my idea that our army should withdraw and that UN peace forces be called as to avoid inter-ethnic war," this politician claimed. The International Cri
BELGRADE, Oct 10 (Hina) - Borisav Jovic, a former chairman of the
collective presidency of the ex-Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia (SFRY), is "surprised" by the quotation of his name in an
indictment which the UN war crime tribunal (ICTY) issued against
Slobodan Milosevic charging him with war crimes in Croatia.
"These are blanket and groundless accusations," Jovic was quoted by
a TV station , B-92, as saying on late Tuesday night.
He admitted that "on the ground there might have been persecution of
non-Serb population, but the (then) Yugoslav authorities had no
connection with it."
He reiterated that he was surprised and asserted that he used all of
his powers to prevent the conflict and find a peaceful resolution.
"It was absolutely my idea that our army should withdraw and that UN
peace forces be called as to avoid inter-ethnic war," this
politician claimed.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) on Tuesday officially confirmed it had issued an indictment
against Slobodan Milosevic, a former Serbian and Yugoslav
president, charging him with crimes against humanity, grave
breaches of the Geneva conventions, and violations of the laws and
customs of war.
In the 20-page document, the prosecutor indicts Milosevic of the
persecution of Croatia's population between Aug. 1, 1991 and June
1992, including the "extermination or murder of hundreds of Croat
and other non-Serb civilians," the imprisonment of thousands of
Croat and other non-Serb civilians within Croatia and in prison
camps in Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia, and the establishment of
inhumane living conditions for the population in Serb-controlled
areas. These were areas local Serb authorities had called SAO
Krajina, SAO Western Slavonia, SAO Slavonija, Baranja and Western
Srem, and the Dubrovnik area.
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