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.
Yes, of course. Only correct my English :)
But you possibly committed crimes as a low ranking soldier or a voluteer when you sneaked out from you Slovenia to help Muslim freedom fighters! Do you have an evidence to prove otherwise? What about child molestation, are you too young for that? Are you saying that you are completely innocent?!
Right on!
It's hard to imagine rooting for a unrepentant commie but here I am!
Well, yes. Or better plead guilty before illustrious Carla del Ponte. Just tell her that Milosevic told you to abuse those Muslim kids and you will be golden.
He already has that status, to some degree. A lot of people aren't as stupid as is assumed, and they know what they see and hear (when they look and listen). And, with this action in Afghanistan, the terrorist attack, and the meltdown of some pensions, there is an awakening. And, people can connect the dots...the KLA are terrorists, yet NATO supported them and bombed the Serbs...hmmm....aren't we supposed to be in a war against terrorism...but, isn't that what Milosevic was fighting? Hmmmm......
IMO, Yes !!
I have read enough, and have been around long enough here to know why I am the problem for the likes of A.Pole. I don't fit anywhere, and I don't buy any one-sided "truth", regardless who it comes from. A.Pole can be a judge as much as he wants, I am ready to question and critisize any judge or someone claiming to possess the "only and real truth". :)
Also, the KLA "known terrorist group" was and is funded by none other ( OBL), a known fact at the time of the bombing in Kosovo....hmmmm
You miss A.Pole's point. You can be 'guilty' of any crime if that's what Big Brother wants. Might is right. And Cash is King.
He, he. You are ready to make a stand like Slobo. But do not worry, I have no aspiration for emulating Carla. And I think that it is quite possible that you are innocent. Also NATO is not going to finance my tribunal. Slovenians can sleep undisturbed.
Polisz proverb - "Kiedy kuja konia, zaba podstawia noge" ("When they shoe the horse, a frog also extends its foot")
good job trying to keep everyone honest (ie the bombing of Al-Jeerza TV)......You and I disagree most strongly about SM's guilt here.........but at least we appear to agree about being consistent. Have your see the film Comrades by a Macedonia flimmaker ?
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Kate, Indeed the BBC is showing itself vis a vie the Tribunal to be a serious agit-prop machine. The few BBC reports I saw were devoid of the slightest attempt at stating facts and were simply emotional tales........
tells me that they are really worried about SM generating too much public support.
Bluester - I am afraid that your stance is now passe - this attempt to demonise Milosevic is over. You can say what you like but we have stepped into the realms of reality. Hearsay testimony and endless unsubstantiated stories are no longer enough. Rolling Bosnia (and even Croatia for goodness sake!) in with Kosovo at the last moment because there was no evidence; operating on the basis that an acquittal can be overturned; the BBC cutting visuals when it suits them; Del Ponte openly pronouncing the outcome of the trial before it's even held... this is populist rubbish which may have thrilled the 'Third Wayers' at the time, but fits nowhere in the new scale of things.
The saddest thing of all is that this nonsense (which appears to be dominated by some of the most repugnant individuals on the international stage) demeans the very real case that people throughout the Balkans have against genuine war criminals (of all ethnicities). The ICTY is not about trying war criminals, it's about victor's justice and a threat to other leaders who dare to step out of line. Milosevic standing when Nato, the late Tudjman, Remi, Thaci, Izetbegovic et al have never been called is a joke!
I hope that you're right! Certainly the sympathy of the US public (which appears to be the only country that matters now) is hardly going to be with anyone who happens to be Muslim at the moment.
Kate, I don't know how good you have been following my posts, but my relatives consists of Serbs. So please don't give me that "Slovenians hates Serbs" BS or that my relatives despise them. So please Kate.
I don't despise or hate Serbs, I never have, I never will. Just as I will never hate Muslims. I am talking about the likes of Milosevic, Karadzic, Mladic, NOT Serbia and Serbs as a WHOLE. Certain individuals. Why can't you understand that?
Actually one of Milosevic's beefs with the Court is that it isn't legitimate under UN rules. It was set up by a vote of the Security Council, not the General Assembly. Most of the member countries of the UN were strongly opposed to the bombing of Serbia, which is why NATO never sought UN authorisation. NATO is just using the UN as a figleaf for this tribunal.
But the Hague tribunal seeks to establish the guilt of all Serbs and not just individuals like Slobo. Why can't you understand that?
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