http://www.workers.org/2005/world/milosevic-0317/
Experts in int'l law back Milosevic defense
By John Catalinotto
Published Mar 9, 2005 4:10 PM
Might doesn't make right. NATO forces were able to break up Yugo slavia but
that doesn't make its kidnapped former leader a criminal.
Ramsey Clark at
meeting in The Hague.
WW photo: John Catalinotto
Fifty people interested in the defense of the former Yugoslav president
attended an international conference here Feb. 26 to discuss "The Hague
Proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic: Emerging Issues in International Law."
The group was concerned that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) is attempting to cut short his legal defense.
And even as Milosevic fights for time to rebut the charges against him, the
U.S. and the puppet Iraqi regime have plans to put another former leader of an
invaded country on trial: Saddam Hussein.
The meeting brought together top jurists in international law, mainly from
Europe and the United States but including a representative from India. The
speakers made persuasive presentations exposing the illegitimacy of the ICTY
and the case against President Milosevic.
The case has gone through a number of phases since NATO forces kidnapped the
Serb leader from prison in Belgrade in June 2001. When the proceedings opened
in February 2002, the media dubbed them the "trial of the century." Milosevic
and Serbia were to be blamed for 10 years of civil war in the Balkans in the
1990s.
However, Milosevic was able, even with the minimal assistance available to him
and despite serious medical problems, to turn the tables on the ICTY during
cross-examination and indict the leaders of NATO for 10 years of aggression
aimed at destroying Yugoslavia.
The result was that the corporate media stopped reporting on the trial, thus
turning it into a de facto secret kangaroo court. Now the prosecution is
attempting to limit Milosevic's active defense case and bring the trial to a
close as rapidly as possible.
International jurists
Present at the Feb. 26 conference were former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey
Clark, former Bulgarian presidential candidate Professor Velko Valkanov, Pro
fes sor Dr. Hans K�chler of Austria, Professor Aldo Bernardini of Italy,
Canadian international attorney Chris topher Black, Dr. John Laughland of
Britain and Pro fessor Bhim Singh, chair of the Jammu Kashmir National Panther
Party. Maitre Tiphaine Dickson of Quebec had to cancel her appearance but
submitted a paper read by one of the participants.
Clark, a founding member of the Inter national Action Center, said his visit to
Milosevic the day before had showed the "triumph of the human spirit" and
called the president "undaunted." Clark said "the violence and deaths of the
wars on Yugo slavia were caused by others" and "the real crime was that of
organizing the war."
Clark compared the situation in Yugo slavia to that of the U.S. Civil War,
although in the Balkans the reactionary side won. "He [Milosevic] was blamed
for doing what Abraham Lincoln did in the American Civil War--and that was
trying to preserve the Union. Lincoln said many times that his sole purpose was
to preserve the Union, yet here the United States' sole purpose was to destroy
Yugoslavia, so that the 'end of history' would appear real," said Clark.
"To do that you had to demonize and destroy the leadership that aimed to
preserve the Yugoslav union," he added. "And to have its way the United States
had to corrupt the United Nations and international justice."
Professor Valkonov pointed out that with regard to both Serbia and Iraq, "the
United States violated all laws" to carry out military attacks on these
countries.
Vladimir Krsljanin of the International Committee for the Defense of Slobodan
Milosevic announced plans to staff an office in The Hague. Two young activists
will help Milosevic prepare his defense case in the remaining time and
publicize the results. Krsljanin asked for the necessary financial and
organizational support from those who understand the importance of refusing to
allow NATO powers to be the sole ones to write the recent history of the
Balkans.
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