Clark testifies at Milosevic trial

[robbedvoter]

Clark testifies at Milosevic trial
http://us.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/12/15/tribunal.clark/index.html 
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (CNN) -- Former U.S. general Wesley Clark has started giving evidence to the war crimes trial of Slobodan Milosevic at The Hague.
Clark, a Democratic candidate for next year's U.S. presidential election, was NATO's allied commander during the alliance's 1999 campaign against Yugoslavia which forced Milosevic's troops out of Kosovo.
The former Yugoslav president is charged with crimes against humanity in Croatia and Kosovo, and genocide in Bosnia.
Clark, who arrived in The Netherlands Sunday, started two days of testifing in closed sessions on Monday, according to a tribunal spokesman.
Details of his testimony will only be released on Friday after the U.S. government screens out anything considered a threat to "national security."
snip
The trial, which started in February 2002, has been disrupted by Milosevic's frequent bouts of ill health.
Milosevic, who denies any wrongdoing, has rejected the authority of the court and is defending himself."
http://us.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/12/15/tribunal.clark/index.html 

[robbedvoter]

1. High drama expected - confrontation between the 2 - must keep out of news!

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=19270

When retired Gen. Wesley Clark testifies against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Monday and Tuesday in the Netherlands, he’ll do so in private. And the U.S. government will censor any transcripts before they make it out of The Hague.
snip

Still, the stealth treatment of the retired general’s appearance has riled some Clark fans and international justice officials. Columnists have accused the Bush administration of trying to bury Clark’s testimony to deny the presidential hopeful a media moment. Critics associated with the tribunal worry about transparency.

“Milosevic will make huge hay of this,” said Nina Bang-Jensen, executive director of the Coalition for International Justice, the advocacy group assisting the tribunal. She feared Milosevic would play upon public suspicions that a great amount of testimony was withheld.

Though she dismissed the notion of a Bush gag order on a political rival, she questioned the necessity of closed testimony for Clark.

“I’m not sure why a different procedure was necessary for him,” Bang-Jensen said from Washington, D.C. “The decision was not a decision of General Clark, but was a decision of the State Department and others. But he’ll be there, and we’re sure he’ll be an excellent witness.”

Clark was the chief military negotiator during the Dayton peace talks, which ended the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He later commanded allied forces in their fight to stop Milosevic’s crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

“He’s someone who paid a lot of attention to details,” Bang-Jensen said of Clark. “It was Holbrooke that negotiated the cease-fire, but it was Clark who had to go over the details. He’s dealt with Milosevic. He won’t be surprised by his tactics, and he’ll be able to hold his own.”

Milosevic has a reputation for trying to intimidate witnesses.

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5. robbedvoter

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[robbedvoter]

2. Update: Milosevic also running for office - will try to score political

Dec 15, 6:25 AM EST

Gen. Clark Testifies at Milosevic Trial
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MILOSEVIC_CLARK?SITE=SCCHA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
By ANTHONY DEUTSCH
Associated Press Writer


snip
He entered an unusually quiet tribunal courtroom without making any comment as he is barred under court rules from discussing the hearings.

Most of Milosevic's trial, which began in February 2002, has been public, but the United States won an agreement from the tribunal to keep Clark's appearance closed for security reasons.

Nonessential officials were barred from following the proceedings. The tribunal will publicly broadcast Clark's testimony on Friday and post it on the Internet, though the State Department could try to have sensitive parts edited out, tribunal spokesman Jim Landale has said.


Prosecutors are hoping Clark will back up their contention that Milosevic was aware of Serbian wartime atrocities, such as the massacre of thousands of Muslim civilians in Srebrenica, Bosnia, and failed to prevent them or punish those responsible.
snip
Milosevic, who also is running for office in his homeland despite his detention, faces 66 charges of war crimes committed in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Prosecutors have called hundreds of witnesses, but Clark will be the most senior U.S. official to testify at Milosevic's trial, which began in February 2002.

For Clark, the exposure on an international stage offers a chance to boost his political profile as he seeks the Democratic nomination but there could be pitfalls.

Milosevic, who studied law but never practiced it, has proven to be a skilled cross-examiner and will likely be looking to undermine Clark's credibility as a prosecution witness. His trial is televised in Serbia, and experts say he uses the platform of the courtroom to score political points at home rather than to score legal points with his judges.

snip

From his detention cell, Milosevic is running in Dec. 28 parliamentary elections in Serbia, which could see a resurgence of support for his Socialist Party.

On Friday, the court prohibited the former leaders and other arrested candidates from using the facilities of the U.N. detention center outside The Hague for campaigning and instructed that his telephone calls be monitored to enforce the gag order.

more...

[grannylib]

3. The misadministration had to try to hush this as much as possible...

Chimpy could not hold a candle to Clark in any discussion/debate on military issues, and any current images of Clark that would remind people of his genuine military heroism and leadership would make Chimpy look even more foolish than he is.
I like this:
'Details of his testimony will only be released on Friday after the U.S. government screens out anything considered a threat to "national security." '
More like, screens out anything that might make Clark look good...