THE HAGUE: U.S. officials will testify at Milosevic trial

(22/3/2002)UNITED NATIONS (March 22) -- With the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in recess while he recovers from the flu, the chief prosecutor in the case spent the week drumming up support for her case against him. Carla Del Ponte, chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), said Thursday that U.S. officials would testify in Milosevic's trial, but that the prosecution team has received little or no help from Serbian and federal authorities, while Milosevic enjoys an unfettered line of communication and help from Belgrade. Observers say Milosevic -- a trained lawyer -- has been holding his own in the five week-old war crimes trial in The Hague, aggressively cross-examining prosecution witnesses, and attacking their credibility. "I don't absolutely know how he gets his information ... he's assisted by six or seven lawyers, behind the door, not in court," Del Ponte said. "We face obstruction by the federal authorities and receive selective and limited cooperation by Serbian authorities, provided they are put under pressure," Del Ponte said at a news conference in New York. As further evidence of a lack of cooperation by Serb and federal authorities, Del Ponte said half of the 32 people indicted by the tribunal are presently in Yugoslavia and its former republics with the full knowledge of federal and Serbian officials, whom she said do nothing about it. Del Ponte points to the case of Ratko Mladic, the former commanding general of the Bosnian Serb army, indicted by the war crimes tribunal in July 1995 for genocide and crimes against humanity in Bosnia-Herzegovina. "Until a couple of weeks ago (he) enjoyed official protection by the Yugoslav army, with the full blessing of the federal presidency." Milosevic has stated he wants to call current and former world leaders and U.S. officials to testify at his trial, including former President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Del Ponte did not say who would be called before the tribunal, but that senior U.S. officials have formally informed her American "officials" will appear, although its not been decided if that will be in an open or closed session. The prosecution, she said, will not oppose testimony in open session. Del Ponte said she expects to be back in The Hague Friday, when she expects the Milosevic trial to resume.

//Shqiptarja.com

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