Milosevic "trial"
1. 'Free Milosevic, jail Bush!' (by John Catalinotto)
2. ICDSM-US LAUNCHES A NEW WEBSITE: WWW.ICDSM-US.ORG
3. Owen to Milosevic: "I believe you wanted peace from April 1993
onwards" (AP 4/11/2003)
4. War criminal Wesley Clark to testify behind closed doors
at Milosevic trial
=== 1 ===
http://www.workers.org/ww/2003/milosevic1120.php
Protest in The Hague
'Free Milosevic, jail Bush!'
By John Catalinotto
The Hague
Hundreds of people marched three miles from the center of The Hague,
Netherlands, to Scheveningen Prison on Nov. 8 to demonstrate support
for political prisoner Slobodan Milosevic, former president of
Yugoslavia. Many came from Germany and the Netherlands, and there were
also representatives from other European countries, the United States
and Canada.
"Free Milosevic, jail Bush," read one banner.
Milosevic has been imprisoned since June 28, 2001. He was kidnapped
from Belgrade and brought before the Inter national Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia to face charges for alleged war crimes.
The United States and other NATO governments--those that waged an
aggressive war against Yugoslavia--set up the court under United
Nations aegis. Many legal experts, including former U.S. Attor ney
General Ramsey Clark, have argued that the tribunal is completely
illegal and that the UN has no right to set up such a court.
The Nov. 8 demonstrators demanded that the tribunal grant Milosevic two
years to prepare his defense case. The prosecution has presented its
case for over 18 months, aided by enormous resources and preparation.
Milosevic has defended himself ably with little outside assistance and
very few resources, according to observers of the trial.
Milosevic also has to contend with a life-threatening level of high
blood pressure and imminent danger of heart attack, according to rally
speakers.
'Don't let aggressors rewrite our history!'
After the long march on Nov. 8, representatives of the International
Committee for the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic from Italy, Ireland,
Britain, the United States and the Yugoslav diaspora ad dres sed the
crowd. They shouted greetings across the prison walls to Milosevic and
the other political prisoners.
"Don't let the aggressors write our history," read one of the banners.
Mischa Gavrilovic from Britain, representing the Yugoslav diaspora,
told those gathered that this was the demonstration's theme.
"In the diaspora we cannot do much," said Gavrilovic, "to liberate our
occupied country. We have no weapons, no TV station. But we can stop
them from taking our history from us."
Speakers said U.S. President Bill Clinton and officials of his
administration were the real war criminals for planning and carrying
out aggression against Yugoslavia.
Costas Alyssandrakis, a member of the European parliament from the Com
munist Party of Greece, said of the imperialists: "They even erased the
name Yugo slavia. There was one person they considered an obstacle:
Slobodan Milosevic."
Klaus Hartmann of the German section of the International Committee for
the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic compared the Yugoslav leader's trial
to that of the Bulgarian anti-fascist, Georgi Dmitroff. Dmi troff
defended himself before a Nazi court in the 1930s for false charges
that he set the German Parliament--the Reich stag--on fire.
Gavrilovic, who chaired the rally, thanked Wil van der Klift of the New
Communist Party of the Netherlands for his party's help in organizing
the demonstration in The Hague. And he promised that people will return
for future demonstrations as the illegal trial proceeds.
Catalinotto represented the ICDSM and the International Action Center
at the protest.
Reprinted from the Nov. 20, 2003, issue of Workers World newspaper
(Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and
distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not
allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY,
NY 10011; via email: ww@.... Subscribe
wwnews-on@.... Unsubscribe wwnews-off@.... Support
independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
=== 2 ===
ICDSM-US LAUNCHES A NEW WEBSITE: WWW.ICDSM-US.ORG
The ICDSM-US also announced on November 1st that it had established a
website at http://www.icdsm-us.org/ to provide information about the
trial, ongoing protests, and a selection of news and analyses about
developments relating to the defense work in the U.S. and around the
world. The site currently features an archive of over 130 speeches,
interviews and statements of President Milosevic relevant to the trial
and recent events in the Balkans.
The central purpose of the ICDSM-US website is to publicize the
struggle for truth and justice that characterizes the career of the
world’s most famous political prisoner – Slobodan Milosevic. The site
will in time include all of Mr. Milosevic’s most important public
statements since 1987. The site will also contain a well organized
collection of ICTY transcripts (soon available with a search engine).
This website is a unique resource for anyone interested in the history
of the Balkans over the last 15 years. The documents speak for
themselves. They dispel the myths about the conflict in Yugoslavia and
reveal the massive falsification of recent history by NATO governments.
Indeed, the government and media demonization of President Milosevic
has been so filled with lies and calumnies that it is revelatory to
read Milosevic's own statements. And since the demonization of
Milosevic extends to both Yugoslavia and the entire Serbian people, the
ICDSM-US hopes that its website serves as an antidote to combat this
type of racism.
The ICDSM-US in its founding statement last September wrote that it
"rejects the legitimacy of this trial and that of the International
Criminal Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia as well. But at the same
time we cannot stand by without protesting the gross violations of
fundamental legal, democratic and human rights visited upon Mr.
Milosevic by this court."
Again, for more information, write to info@...
=== 3 ===
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?nav_id=25363&style=headlines
Associated Press - November 4, 2003
Milosevic was ready to cut a deal, says Owen
THE HAGUE -- Tuesday - Former Balkans peace envoy
David Owen told the war crimes trial of Slobodan
Milosevic today that the former Yugoslav president was
ready to cut a deal to end the wars in Croatia and
Bosnia in 1993.
Under cross-examination by Milosevic himself, Owen
said that Milosevic had given up on the idea of
carving up a "Greater Serbia" encompassing parts of
Bosnia and Croatia in 1993 when he signed a peace plan
that he co-authored.
But he added that Milosevic did not actively promote a
peace deal.
"I believe you wanted peace from April 1993 onwards,"
said Owen, adding: "I wish you had made your verbal
support for peace into military and economic pressures
which could have brought about peace earlier."
The so-called Vance-Owen plan signed on April 23, 1993
was the first proposed settlement that ruled out
linking the Bosnian Serb entity in Bosnia with Serbia.
The plan failed because the Bosnian Serb leadership
voted against it.
Owen, a former British foreign minister, was the
European Union's peace envoy to the former Yugoslavia
during the wars from 1992 to 1995.
During the cross-examination, Milosevic asked Owen if
he agreed that he did not advocate the idea of
"Greater Serbia" from April 23, 1993 onwards.
"I believe you had given up the idea that to reach a
settlement part of Bosnia, namely the Republika
Srpska, had to be geographically linked to Serbia and
Montenegro," Owen replied.
=== 4 ===
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/cd/Qwarcrimes-yugo.RJXH_DNJ.html
Agence France-Presse
November 19, 2003
Ex-NATO commander Clark to testify behind closed doors
at Milosevic trial
THE HAGUE, Nov 19 (AFP) - Former NATO commander and US presidential
hopeful Wesley Clark will testify behind
closed doors in the war crimes trial of former
Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic next month, the
UN court said Wednesday.
"There will be no access for the public during the
testimony and recordings of it will not be released
until at least 48 hours afterwards," tribunal
spokesman Jim Landale said at a weekly press briefing.
The US government has demanded that Clark testify
behind closed doors on December 15 and 16 and can ask
to have statements removed from the public record if
they harm the national interests of the US, court
documents showed.
It is up to the judges to consider any demands for
editing, which means it might take a lot longer than
48 hours to release the testimony.
Since the start of the Milosevic trial in February
2002 there have been many closed sessions in the case
with witnesses whose testimony was only heard by the
court. The procedure is generally intended to protect
witnesses who generally remain anonymous.
It is the first time at the UN court since its
creation in 1993 that the court will hear a witness
behind closed doors and later possibly release an
edited version of the testimony.
Two representatives of the US government will be with
Clark as he gives evidence.
Clark was commander of the NATO forces during the war
in Kosovo in 1999 and spent dozens of hours
negotiating with Milosevic in the build-up to the NATO
bombing of the Serbian province. The retired four star
general is now running for president as a Democratic
candidate hopeful at winning the White House in next
November's elections.
Milosevic has been on trial at the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The
Hague since February last year. He faces more than 60
charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for
his role in the 1990s wars in Croatia, Bosnia and
Kosovo that tore apart the Balkans. For the war in
Bosnia that left over 200,000 dead he faces a separate
genocide charge.
The prosecution is expected use Clark's testimony of
his meetings with Milosevic during the Kosovo war to
establish that the Yugoslav president controlled the
Serb troops on the ground and was aware of atrocities
being committed against ethnic Albanians.
SEE ALSO:
Clark to Testify at Milosevic Trial (by Jennifer C. Kerr)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=514&u=/ap/20031116/
ap_on_el_pr/clark_milosevic&printer=1
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK TO TESTIFY IN THE MILOSEVIC TRIAL ON 15 AND 16
DECEMBER 2003
NO PUBLIC ACCESS ON THOSE DATES
RECORDING OF TESTIMONY TO BE MADE PUBLIC AFTER 48 HOURS
Trial Chamber Press Release . Communiqué de presse
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty111903.htm
1. 'Free Milosevic, jail Bush!' (by John Catalinotto)
2. ICDSM-US LAUNCHES A NEW WEBSITE: WWW.ICDSM-US.ORG
3. Owen to Milosevic: "I believe you wanted peace from April 1993
onwards" (AP 4/11/2003)
4. War criminal Wesley Clark to testify behind closed doors
at Milosevic trial
=== 1 ===
http://www.workers.org/ww/2003/milosevic1120.php
Protest in The Hague
'Free Milosevic, jail Bush!'
By John Catalinotto
The Hague
Hundreds of people marched three miles from the center of The Hague,
Netherlands, to Scheveningen Prison on Nov. 8 to demonstrate support
for political prisoner Slobodan Milosevic, former president of
Yugoslavia. Many came from Germany and the Netherlands, and there were
also representatives from other European countries, the United States
and Canada.
"Free Milosevic, jail Bush," read one banner.
Milosevic has been imprisoned since June 28, 2001. He was kidnapped
from Belgrade and brought before the Inter national Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia to face charges for alleged war crimes.
The United States and other NATO governments--those that waged an
aggressive war against Yugoslavia--set up the court under United
Nations aegis. Many legal experts, including former U.S. Attor ney
General Ramsey Clark, have argued that the tribunal is completely
illegal and that the UN has no right to set up such a court.
The Nov. 8 demonstrators demanded that the tribunal grant Milosevic two
years to prepare his defense case. The prosecution has presented its
case for over 18 months, aided by enormous resources and preparation.
Milosevic has defended himself ably with little outside assistance and
very few resources, according to observers of the trial.
Milosevic also has to contend with a life-threatening level of high
blood pressure and imminent danger of heart attack, according to rally
speakers.
'Don't let aggressors rewrite our history!'
After the long march on Nov. 8, representatives of the International
Committee for the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic from Italy, Ireland,
Britain, the United States and the Yugoslav diaspora ad dres sed the
crowd. They shouted greetings across the prison walls to Milosevic and
the other political prisoners.
"Don't let the aggressors write our history," read one of the banners.
Mischa Gavrilovic from Britain, representing the Yugoslav diaspora,
told those gathered that this was the demonstration's theme.
"In the diaspora we cannot do much," said Gavrilovic, "to liberate our
occupied country. We have no weapons, no TV station. But we can stop
them from taking our history from us."
Speakers said U.S. President Bill Clinton and officials of his
administration were the real war criminals for planning and carrying
out aggression against Yugoslavia.
Costas Alyssandrakis, a member of the European parliament from the Com
munist Party of Greece, said of the imperialists: "They even erased the
name Yugo slavia. There was one person they considered an obstacle:
Slobodan Milosevic."
Klaus Hartmann of the German section of the International Committee for
the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic compared the Yugoslav leader's trial
to that of the Bulgarian anti-fascist, Georgi Dmitroff. Dmi troff
defended himself before a Nazi court in the 1930s for false charges
that he set the German Parliament--the Reich stag--on fire.
Gavrilovic, who chaired the rally, thanked Wil van der Klift of the New
Communist Party of the Netherlands for his party's help in organizing
the demonstration in The Hague. And he promised that people will return
for future demonstrations as the illegal trial proceeds.
Catalinotto represented the ICDSM and the International Action Center
at the protest.
Reprinted from the Nov. 20, 2003, issue of Workers World newspaper
(Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and
distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not
allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY,
NY 10011; via email: ww@.... Subscribe
wwnews-on@.... Unsubscribe wwnews-off@.... Support
independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
=== 2 ===
ICDSM-US LAUNCHES A NEW WEBSITE: WWW.ICDSM-US.ORG
The ICDSM-US also announced on November 1st that it had established a
website at http://www.icdsm-us.org/ to provide information about the
trial, ongoing protests, and a selection of news and analyses about
developments relating to the defense work in the U.S. and around the
world. The site currently features an archive of over 130 speeches,
interviews and statements of President Milosevic relevant to the trial
and recent events in the Balkans.
The central purpose of the ICDSM-US website is to publicize the
struggle for truth and justice that characterizes the career of the
world’s most famous political prisoner – Slobodan Milosevic. The site
will in time include all of Mr. Milosevic’s most important public
statements since 1987. The site will also contain a well organized
collection of ICTY transcripts (soon available with a search engine).
This website is a unique resource for anyone interested in the history
of the Balkans over the last 15 years. The documents speak for
themselves. They dispel the myths about the conflict in Yugoslavia and
reveal the massive falsification of recent history by NATO governments.
Indeed, the government and media demonization of President Milosevic
has been so filled with lies and calumnies that it is revelatory to
read Milosevic's own statements. And since the demonization of
Milosevic extends to both Yugoslavia and the entire Serbian people, the
ICDSM-US hopes that its website serves as an antidote to combat this
type of racism.
The ICDSM-US in its founding statement last September wrote that it
"rejects the legitimacy of this trial and that of the International
Criminal Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia as well. But at the same
time we cannot stand by without protesting the gross violations of
fundamental legal, democratic and human rights visited upon Mr.
Milosevic by this court."
Again, for more information, write to info@...
=== 3 ===
http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?nav_id=25363&style=headlines
Associated Press - November 4, 2003
Milosevic was ready to cut a deal, says Owen
THE HAGUE -- Tuesday - Former Balkans peace envoy
David Owen told the war crimes trial of Slobodan
Milosevic today that the former Yugoslav president was
ready to cut a deal to end the wars in Croatia and
Bosnia in 1993.
Under cross-examination by Milosevic himself, Owen
said that Milosevic had given up on the idea of
carving up a "Greater Serbia" encompassing parts of
Bosnia and Croatia in 1993 when he signed a peace plan
that he co-authored.
But he added that Milosevic did not actively promote a
peace deal.
"I believe you wanted peace from April 1993 onwards,"
said Owen, adding: "I wish you had made your verbal
support for peace into military and economic pressures
which could have brought about peace earlier."
The so-called Vance-Owen plan signed on April 23, 1993
was the first proposed settlement that ruled out
linking the Bosnian Serb entity in Bosnia with Serbia.
The plan failed because the Bosnian Serb leadership
voted against it.
Owen, a former British foreign minister, was the
European Union's peace envoy to the former Yugoslavia
during the wars from 1992 to 1995.
During the cross-examination, Milosevic asked Owen if
he agreed that he did not advocate the idea of
"Greater Serbia" from April 23, 1993 onwards.
"I believe you had given up the idea that to reach a
settlement part of Bosnia, namely the Republika
Srpska, had to be geographically linked to Serbia and
Montenegro," Owen replied.
=== 4 ===
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/cd/Qwarcrimes-yugo.RJXH_DNJ.html
Agence France-Presse
November 19, 2003
Ex-NATO commander Clark to testify behind closed doors
at Milosevic trial
THE HAGUE, Nov 19 (AFP) - Former NATO commander and US presidential
hopeful Wesley Clark will testify behind
closed doors in the war crimes trial of former
Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic next month, the
UN court said Wednesday.
"There will be no access for the public during the
testimony and recordings of it will not be released
until at least 48 hours afterwards," tribunal
spokesman Jim Landale said at a weekly press briefing.
The US government has demanded that Clark testify
behind closed doors on December 15 and 16 and can ask
to have statements removed from the public record if
they harm the national interests of the US, court
documents showed.
It is up to the judges to consider any demands for
editing, which means it might take a lot longer than
48 hours to release the testimony.
Since the start of the Milosevic trial in February
2002 there have been many closed sessions in the case
with witnesses whose testimony was only heard by the
court. The procedure is generally intended to protect
witnesses who generally remain anonymous.
It is the first time at the UN court since its
creation in 1993 that the court will hear a witness
behind closed doors and later possibly release an
edited version of the testimony.
Two representatives of the US government will be with
Clark as he gives evidence.
Clark was commander of the NATO forces during the war
in Kosovo in 1999 and spent dozens of hours
negotiating with Milosevic in the build-up to the NATO
bombing of the Serbian province. The retired four star
general is now running for president as a Democratic
candidate hopeful at winning the White House in next
November's elections.
Milosevic has been on trial at the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The
Hague since February last year. He faces more than 60
charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for
his role in the 1990s wars in Croatia, Bosnia and
Kosovo that tore apart the Balkans. For the war in
Bosnia that left over 200,000 dead he faces a separate
genocide charge.
The prosecution is expected use Clark's testimony of
his meetings with Milosevic during the Kosovo war to
establish that the Yugoslav president controlled the
Serb troops on the ground and was aware of atrocities
being committed against ethnic Albanians.
SEE ALSO:
Clark to Testify at Milosevic Trial (by Jennifer C. Kerr)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=514&u=/ap/20031116/
ap_on_el_pr/clark_milosevic&printer=1
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK TO TESTIFY IN THE MILOSEVIC TRIAL ON 15 AND 16
DECEMBER 2003
NO PUBLIC ACCESS ON THOSE DATES
RECORDING OF TESTIMONY TO BE MADE PUBLIC AFTER 48 HOURS
Trial Chamber Press Release . Communiqué de presse
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty111903.htm