[ALBSA-Info] Milosevic Refuses to Enter Plea

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Milosevic Refuses to Enter Plea

By ROBERT H. REID
  
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Flashing the defiance that marked his 13 years 
in power, Slobodan Milosevic refused to enter a plea on war crimes charges 
Tuesday in his first appearance before a U.N. tribunal that he said was 
merely a cover for NATO ``crimes'' in Yugoslavia. 

Appearing at times uneasy, at times arrogant, the former Yugoslav leader 
stood alone - having turned down counsel for the session - and expressed his 
contempt for the court as it arraigned him on four counts linked to a bloody 
crackdown in Kosovo. 

``This trial's aim is to produce false justification for the war crimes of 
NATO committed in Yugoslavia,'' Milosevic told the three-judge panel when 
asked to enter a plea. He said he would not appoint defense attorneys, saying 
he did not need counsel before an ``illegal organ.'' 

Chief Judge Richard May entered a plea of innocent on his behalf and 
scheduled a procedural hearing for next month. 

Milosevic sparred verbally with May, a British judge with a no-nonsense 
reputation, who repeatedly cut off the former president during the 12-minute 
hearing to tell him not to make speeches. 

Asked if he wanted the court to read the entire, 51-page indictment, 
Milosevic - who is a lawyer - snapped: ``That's your problem.'' 

Such demonstrations of defiance were a hallmark of Milosevic's rule, during 
which he outwitted domestic and international opponents to remain in power 
despite losing four Balkan wars and presiding over the dismemberment of 
Yugoslavia. 

His courtroom manner appeared aimed primarily at supporters back home 
watching the proceedings live on radio and television. 

But the hearing was a humiliation for the man who was once among the 
strongest figures in Europe. He had fought bitterly to avoid standing in the 
dock in The Hague court established in 1993 to try cases stemming from the 
wars that the United States and its allies believe he inspired and supported. 

He was ousted from power in October after a popular uprising forced him to 
accept electoral defeat. He was arrested April 1 pending charges in 
Yugoslavia then sent here Thursday night. 

In May 1999, Milosevic became the first head of state indicted by the U.N. 
court. Now he becomes the first former head of state to stand trial before an 
international court for offenses allegedly committed during his rule. Human 
rights organizations consider the case against Milosevic the most significant 
since the Nuremberg Trials after World War II. 

The charges against Milosevic include deportation, a crime against humanity; 
murder, a crime against humanity; murder, a crime against laws or customs of 
war; and persecution on ethnic or religious grounds, a crime against 
humanity. 

All carry a life sentence. The charges stem from atrocities allegedly 
committed during the Kosovo crackdown two years ago, when ended after a 
78-day NATO bombing campaign forced Yugoslav forces to hand over the province 
to the United Nations and a NATO-led peacekeeping force. 

Milosevic has consistently maintained that his actions were to save his 
country from Western domination and that the world has ignored NATO's 
``crimes,'' including the bombing of civilian targets in and out of Kosovo. 

Tribunal officials also expect to indict Milosevic for offenses in Croatia 
and Bosnia-Herzegovina by October. His trial is expected to begin in about 
eight months and may last two years. 

After entering the courtroom with two armed U.N. sentries, Milosevic sat in a 
blue swivel chair and shifted nervously as he waited for the judges. Guards 
had to nudge him to rise when the judges entered the room. 

Once the hearing began, Milosevic's manner changed. He placed his fist firmly 
on the table and spoke clearly and firmly in both English and Serbo-Croatian. 

When Judge May asked him a second time if he wanted to enter a plea, 
Milosevic snapped: ``I have given you my answer.'' 

May replied crisply, ``We treat your response as a failure to enter a plea 
and we shall enter pleas of not guilty on each count on your behalf.'' 

When Milosevic sought to speak again about NATO's ``crimes committed in 
Yugoslavia,'' May interrupted: ``Mr. Milosevic, this is not the time for 
speeches. As I have said, you will have the full opportunity, in due course, 
to defend yourself and to make your defense before the tribunal.'' 

Tribunal officials said Milosevic and chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte met 
privately for a brief period after the arraignment, a standard procedure to 
allow the defendant to speak to the prosecutor's office. The officials said 
Milosevic had nothing to say. 

The case against Milosevic represents the greatest challenge to face the 
tribunal, whose credibility would be shattered if it cannot prove its case 
against its most important defendant. 

``This case will be very carefully put together as strongly as possible 
because this is a milestone in international law,'' said Marcel Brus of the 
Leiden University law faculty in the Netherlands. 

The United States has promised to provide information to the tribunal, and 
other major powers are expected to follow suit. However, the prosecution's 
case would be strengthened if it can apprehend key Milosevic aides and former 
allies - such as former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic - believed privy 
to private strategy sessions with the former ruler. 

Deputy Prosecutor Graham Blewitt said the prosecution will ``call witness, 
after witness, after witness to establish his guilt.'' 

Among those expected to testify are investigators who have exhumed thousands 
of bodies from mass graves, survivors of atrocities and possibly Milosevic's 
former colleagues.