Milosevic calls Blair, Clinton to be trial witnesses
2004-04-14
BRUSSELS, April 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic called on British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former US President Bill Clinton to appear as witnesses at his trial for war crimes, news reaching here from The Hague said. Milosevic, who is on trial at The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, has drawn up a list of around 1,600 names, calling on them to be witnesses at his trial, Radio Netherlands reported on Tuesday. The judge of the UN tribunal will decide the names of witnesses,said the radio. Milosevic is the first head of state who has been brought to the UN tribunal with charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s. He has conducted his own defense since the trial opened in 2002. Due to the poor health of the 62-year-old Milosevic, the UN tribunal abruptly wrapped up the case on Feb. 25 and then rescheduled the start of Milosevic's defense from May to June, giving him 150 days in court to present his case.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10909-2004Apr14.html
New Judge Appointed to Milosevic Case
The Associated Press Wednesday, April 14, 2004;
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - A Scottish judge will join the three-member tribunal hearing the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, replacing the presiding justice who resigned because of illness, the U.N. court announced Wednesday. Lord Bonomy will start June 1, a week before the Milosevic trial is due to resume after a three-month recess. Bonomy must certify that he is familiar with trial so far, including the testimony of nearly 300 witnesses and tens of thousands of pages of documents. Nominated by the British government, Bonomy's appointment was confirmed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan after consultations with members of the Security Council and the General Assembly, said tribunal spokesman Jim Landale. The trial has been in recess since the prosecution concluded its case Feb. 25 to allow Milosevic time to prepare his defense. Bonomy fills the seat vacated by Judge Richard May, who presided over the Milosevic case with a firm hand since it began in 2002. His resignation was announced Feb. 21. The trial has had repeated delays because of Milosevic's health. On Tuesday, Milosevic submitted a list of more than 1,600 witnesses he wants to call in his defense. The trial chamber will decide which of them are relevant for the case. The ousted Yugoslav leader, who is representing himself, is accused of 66 counts of war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo during the 1990s. Bonomy joins Patrick Robinson of Jamaica, who was assigned to preside over the remainder of the trial, and Judge O-Gon Kwon of South Korea. Milosevic was asked last month for his consent to the appointment of a new judge. Milosevic, who refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the tribunal, declined to respond, saying the naming of judges was of no concern to him. The tribunal took his silence as equivalent to withholding his consent. He could still contest the appointment and seek a retrial. On Friday, the tribunal was due to convene for a procedural hearing before the June 8 opening of the defense case.
© 2004 The Associated Press