> >STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.COM > >Serbs To Charge Western Leaders With War Crimes >BELGRADE, May 21, 2000 -- (Reuters) Serbia's public prosecutor said on >Saturday charges would shortly be filed against Western leaders accusing >them of committing war crimes against the civilian population during >last year's NATO air war. >"Charges will be filed in the coming days against leading figures of the >most responsible NATO countries for war crimes against the civilian >population committed in Yugoslavia during the March 24 to June 8 >aggression last year," the state news agency Tanjug quoted prosecutor >Dragisa Krsmanovic as saying. >The list of the accused includes U.S. President Bill Clinton, former >NATO Secretary General Javier Solana and leaders of Britain, France and >Germany. >An investigation against Western leaders was opened last year. The >accusations included violation of the Geneva convention on the conduct >of war by using cluster bombs, attacks on civilians and residential >areas and attacks on non-military targets. >The president of Serbia's Supreme Court, Balsa Govedarica, said "trials >of the organizers of the aggression against Yugoslavia, given their >specific nature which will certainly provoke a lot of public attention, >would be conducted before a court made up of judges from the entire >republic." >NATO, which launched the air strikes over Yugoslavia's repression of >Kosovo's Albanians, insisted throughout the campaign it was aiming only >at military targets and said it took all possible precautions to avoid >civilian casualties. >When the Washington-based Human Rights Watch said in February 500 >civilians had been killed by the air strikes, NATO said its report >constituted legitimate criticism but that NATO's its actions could not >be compared with Serb violence in Kosovo. >The UN's International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) >indicted Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and four other top >Yugoslav Serb officials last year for alleged war crimes in Kosovo. >Krsmanovic said Yugoslavia did not recognize the UN court based in The >Hague. >He also said an investigation was being conducted against Bernard >Kouchner, head of the U.N.-led administration in Kosovo, and ethnic >Albanian leaders Hasim Thaqi and Agim Ceku for alleged genocide against >Serbs and other non-Albanians. >NATO-led forces and the United Nations took de facto control of Kosovo >last June after Yugoslav security forces pulled out of the province. >Over 200,000 Serbs and other minorities have fled Kosovo since then, >fearing revenge attacks by the ethnic Albanian majority which suffered >years of Serbian repression. >Yugoslavia has accused international forces of not fulfilling its task >to protect the entire Kosovo population. > > >______________________________________________________________________ >To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >______________________________________________________________________ >Advertisement: >15% off Ashford Collection jewelry for Mother's Day! Mom will love >these gorgeous pieces handpicked by our expert jewelry buyers - now >15% off and shipped FedEx overnight FREE! Spoiled as a child? Return >the favor - get her gift at Ashford.com. >http://on.linkexchange.com/?ATID=27&AID=1231 > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
