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Serbian Parties Demand Release of Milosevic
Major parties in the Serbian Republic of Yugoslavia demanded strongly Tuesday that the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague immediately release former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.
Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia said in a public announcement that The Hague tribunal had started to try Milosevic in an attempt to whitewash NATO's crimes against humanity and peace in Yugoslavia instead of bringing justice to the case.
Chairman of the Serbian Radical Party Vojislav Seselj said in a statement that he was deeply impressed by the calm and dignity of Milosevic at the court of The Hague. He hoped Milosevic would be persistent so as to safeguard the interests of the Serbs and unveil those behind the court which acts as "a tool of NATO."
Milosevic, who made his first public appearance at the UN tribunal in The Hague Tuesday, faced his prosecutors alone and refused to consider legal representation at the court. He looked calm and steadfast, saying that the tribunal was "false" and "illegal."
Milosevic's lawyer in Yugoslavia, Toma Fila, Tuesday told the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug that he personally believed that it might be better for Milosevic to find a defense lawyer who is an expert of international law.
Fila predicted that the trial of Milosevic could last three to five years, and he hoped that Milosevic would reconsider the issue of finding a lawyer for himself.
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said to the press at the government building that the Serbian government had finished its job after handing Milosevic over to the U.N. court.
As to how Milosevic should behave, it was the business of his own, said Djindjic.
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