Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

War claims 'an ocean of lies', says Milosevic
Daily Telegraph(UK) ^ | 02/14/02

Posted on 02/14/2002 2:31:56 AM PST by Arkle

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC has told the international war crimes tribunal that Nato and the West had fabricated an "ocean of lies" to back the 1999 war on Yugoslavia.

He opened his defence this morning by showing a video discussing the 1999 massacre of ethnic Albanians in Racak, which triggered the Nato air war on Yugoslavia.

"This is just an atom of truth in the ocean of lies and the product of propaganda and the use of global media as a means of war against my country," he said after the showing.

The video, some of it taken from German television, showed a commentator casting doubt on whether the dozens of ethnic Albanians killed were civilians, and an interview with an observer who said there may have been separatist fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

"This terrible fabrication," Milosevic said, was used to raise public opinion in favour of a war against Yugoslavia.

He also showed video of the Nato air strikes that began in March 1999, where Serbs were seen huddled in bunkers, and other commentators saying that there had been no "humanitarian catastrophe" in Yugoslavia before those air strikes.

Milosevic was presenting his defence at the UN tribunal in The Hague on the third day of his trial for genocide and war crimes in the Balkan wars.

In his first remarks at the trial yesterday, Milosevic denounced the trial as a "lynch process" and again challenged the court's authority to try him.

The former president is accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for the atrocities committed during the wars in Croatia in 1991-1995, Bosnia in 1992-1995 and Kosovo in 1998-1999.

If convicted, Milosevic is likely to face life in prison.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-91 next last
Go get 'em, Slobo.
1 posted on 02/14/2002 2:31:56 AM PST by Arkle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Arkle
There's so much other video and TV footage that could be presented, including witness testimonies that I doubt Milosevic would be glad looking at. And those that still see him as innocent.
2 posted on 02/14/2002 2:37:49 AM PST by bluester
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arkle
Slobo has a better defense than Willie or mad Hattie would have in a similar tribunal.
3 posted on 02/14/2002 2:38:05 AM PST by meenie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: Arkle
He's got a point about part of it. That barbed wire photo wasn't a photo of a concentration camp, it was a group of people on the outside of the fence looking in at the area where the photographer was at. The global liberal media are evil liars.
5 posted on 02/14/2002 2:41:23 AM PST by #3Fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: #3Fan
The global liberal media are evil liars.

Careful, you could get sued for that.

6 posted on 02/14/2002 2:50:12 AM PST by Arkle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Arkle
I watched a bit of Slobo's testimony today on CNN. He's having an easy time because a lot of what the prosecution said over the previous two days was based on outright lies.

For example, the prosecution accused Slobo of whipping up Serb nationalism in his 1989 speech at Kosovo Polje. It quoted one sentence from the speech, out of context. Today, Slobo read much of the rest of the speech. Throughout he spoke only of the need for harmony and tolerance among Yugoslavia's peoples. Hardly a call to arms.

One wonders why the prosecution feels the need to lie. Are they desperate because their case is so weak?

7 posted on 02/14/2002 3:17:08 AM PST by Canuck1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arkle
Any support for a world court will not be coming from me. Regardless of mr milosovich's guilt or innocence, and I suspect that might be somewhere in the middle of the two, he deserves the right to govern as he sees fit until those he governs, see a need to have someone else govern. Knowing the direction of the UN, I would think anyone with half a brain, would run as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

The world court has the potential to make war criminals out of everyone participating in the conduct of national policy, starting at the top and continuing right down to the foot soldier, pick a country, preferably small and without the public and media support, and with a tainted history, whether true or manufactured, and you have the perfect media victim, or should I say target.

8 posted on 02/14/2002 3:21:36 AM PST by wita
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bluester
There's so much other video and TV footage that could be presented

Yes, you are right. This is a true OCEAN of lies. If Milosevic shows that Racak was a fabrication they will trow at him a photo of people in a supposed death camp, if he shows how this was faked, they will throw Srebrenica, if he disproves that, they will throw bread line market massacre, etc ,etc ... (Anything bad what was supposed to happened was ordered by the almighty all knowing Slobo, of course)

At some moment they will say that he is taking to much precious time from the respectable circus artists and his microphone will be turned off. Then he will be found guilty and Mr. Bluester will be vindicated.

9 posted on 02/14/2002 3:34:16 AM PST by A. Pole
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Arkle
Nato and the West had fabricated an "ocean of lies"

The chief prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, is known for having leveled untrue charges in at least one case in Switzerland. In 1999 Friedrich Nyffenegger (a Swiss army officer) has been practically absolved by the Supreme Court. Of the massive accusations from Carla del Ponte (among them treason), who was federal prosecutor at the time, almost all of them were discarded by the court.
She later argued that her assistant was the culprit. Switzerland was very glad to see her go (i.e. nominated at the Hague) and take her love for self-publicity and her antics elsewhere.

Mrs. del Ponte has a reputation of biting very hard but too often with charges that do not stick. Most people agree that she was not very successful during her tenure as federal prosecutor in Switzerland.

I have been watching the show in the Hague on CNN for some time now and have the feeling that, whatever Mr. Milosevic has done, this charade cannot go on. The western powers have discredited themselves a long time ago by presenting outlandish claims of atrocities to justify an attack on Kosovo. I truly believe the following question is justified: who is the real criminal?
10 posted on 02/14/2002 3:37:00 AM PST by ch.man
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arkle
Free SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC !

He was set up by the Biased Left Wing Media.

Ducks fly, liberals lie, mama made good apple pie.

11 posted on 02/14/2002 3:42:52 AM PST by kapn kuek
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arkle
I'm suprised he didn't outline the 'history' of William 'South America' Walker. Maybe he will at a later date.

VRN

12 posted on 02/14/2002 3:46:15 AM PST by Voronin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Arkle
I really don't like the guy, he's just another Mugabe, or maybe Mugabe is another Milosevich, but in any case who are THEY to try HIM!?

The guy is a bastard he's destroyed a whole country (remember before he came to power Yugoslavia was bigger and more peaceful, I think it was even called the "socialist success story" or some crap like that).

And today not even serbia's borders are secure.

13 posted on 02/14/2002 3:51:17 AM PST by AussieLeftie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: A. Pole
So you consider him innocent of any charges that will be brought? Well you may think so and believe that, I have many reasons to believe otherwise. And I don't need the Hague court or Carla Del ponte to tell me that. For all I care he can be freed and sent back to Serbian and become president once more, but that wouldn't change a thing regarding his responsibility.
14 posted on 02/14/2002 4:13:07 AM PST by bluester
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: AussieLeftie;Arkle
Aussie - Nato is turning him into an anti-hero. If he is tried, it should not be through this ludicrous kangaroo court which makes a mockery of international law and is so clearly political. There is the ICJ, or the courts in his home country where millions would love to see him on trial.

If this ICTY farce continues, the 'West' is going to dig itself in deeper and deeper - the fact is that they did break numerous laws and they did massively manipulate the truth. They have left themselves open to having this revealed to the world and turning Milosevic a martyr - whatever anyone thinks of Milosevic, kidnapping him and dragging him off to this show trial is shameful.

It was interesting today to see how Blaair's Broadcasting Corps handled this story - they made it look as though Milosevic had just rattled on insanely when in fact he made some very good introductory arguments. This distortion may work for the domestic audience, but this is 'international'. Also interesting that the BBC live coverage from the ICTY mysteriously cut off visually when Milosevic was showing photographic evidence. Nobody can now say that the BBC is any less govt controlled than RTS in Belgrade which was never a 'legitimate target' (and shame on all of those media workers and organisations who supported the stance that it was).

15 posted on 02/14/2002 4:38:02 AM PST by Kate22
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Kate22
Kate, I hope you share the same opinion regarding the Al jazeera TV bombing.
16 posted on 02/14/2002 4:52:28 AM PST by bluester
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: bluester
So you consider him innocent of any charges that will be brought?

Well, some of the charges by a pure chance could be true (as well as you Mr. Bluester might be guilty of some war crimes). But it is a wrong principle to reason that if a person is accused of a thousand crimes it is reasonable that at least a small part of the charges is true. But people with the IQ lower than 115 (about 80% of the population) will find this principle irresistible. That is how IQ test works - to separate top 10% or 3% (about 130 score) increasingly tricky questions are presented.

To make it easier for you. Imagine that you are framed and FALSELY acccused of one thousand cases of child molestation. By the virtue of being rich and having axcellent team of lawers and investigators you will be able PROVE your innocence in let us say 200 cases and in another 200 cases you will be able to demonstrate the intentional fraud by the prosecutors. Still 600 cases will remain "unresolved" and people with IQ not higher than 115 will naturally assume that out of hundreds at least some are true. This is how the flood of lies stratagem works on the mind of general public.

17 posted on 02/14/2002 5:01:43 AM PST by A. Pole
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: A. Pole
You'd have to say that he is. There was no genocide (or at least Serbs did no more than Croats or Bosnians), and Bosnia and Kosovo are still Muslim. Interestingly, he is being tried for forciblely removing Albanians from Kosovo. But Kosovo is actually now free of Serbs. Hmmm.... Milosovic is a thug, but not the only one in Yugoslavia. This sort of trial will someday catch an American officer or politician. Slick's bombing of Serbian civilian installments, for example.
19 posted on 02/14/2002 5:15:51 AM PST by sobieski
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: A. Pole
That's a pretty neat explanation. Mind if I use it?
20 posted on 02/14/2002 5:18:19 AM PST by ewchil
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-91 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson