Global Policy Forum

A Scottish judge will join the three-member tribunal hearing the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, replacing the presiding justice who resigned suddenly due to ill health. Lord Bonomy, 58, will start on June 1, a week before the Milosevic trial is due to resume in The Hague after a three month recess. He must certify that he is familiar with trial so far, including the testimony of nearly 300 witnesses and tens of thousands of pages of documents. Nominated by the British government, Lord Bonomy's appointment was confirmed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan following consultations with members of the Security Council and the General Assembly, said tribunal spokesman Jim Landale.

The trial has been in recess since the prosecution concluded its case on February 25 to allow Milosevic time to prepare his defence. On Tuesday, Milosevic submitted a list of more than 1,600 witnesses he wants to call in his defence. The names include Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Foreign Secretary Robin Cooke and former US President Bill Clinton. The trial chamber will decide which of them are relevant for the case. The ousted Yugoslav leader is representing himself against 66 counts of war crimes allegedly committed in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo during the 1990s.

Lord Bonomy fills the seat vacated by British Judge Richard May, who presided over the Milosevic case with a firm hand since it began in February 2002. The trial has met repeated delays caused by Milosevic's illnesses. Lord Bonomy joins Patrick Robinson of Jamaica, who was assigned to preside over the remainder of the trial, and Judge O-Gon Kwon of South Korea. The son of a physical education teacher, Iain Bonomy was promoted to the Scottish bench in 1997. In 2002, he produced a groundbreaking report about what he called the inefficient state of the Scottish High Court, which faced chronic delays. The report led to recommendations for sweeping reforms, which are awaiting legislation. Reports in Scotland said Lord Bonomy is currently hearing a case of a former prisoner claiming damages over alleged inhuman conditions at Glasgow's Barlinnie prison. The judgment could open the way for similar cases by hundreds of other prisoners.

As stipulated by the tribunal statutes, Milosevic was asked last month for his consent to the appointment of a new judge. Milosevic, who refuses to recognise the legitimacy of the tribunal, declined to respond, saying the naming of judges was of no concern to him. The tribunal took his silence as equivalent to withholding his consent. He could still contest the appointment and seek a retrial. The tribunal is due to convene on Friday for a procedural hearing in advance of the opening of the defence case on June 8.