April 18, 2001
Yugoslavia's reformist government feels "discomfort" after a Belgrade court issued arrest warrants for 14 Western leaders sentenced to 20 years in absentia for war crimes. The move has been described by legal experts as a "technicality," but in theory, could lead to any policeman arresting the dignitaries once they step foot on Yugoslav soil.
The warrants were issued on Wednesday after the court upheld the sentences passed during a four-day trial last September by former president Slobodan Milosevic's regime in its last days before being ousted. The district court issued a statement in which it said the world figures, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and British Foreign Minister Robin Cook, had been notified of the warrants.
The convictions cover the 78-day NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia in 1999 during which human rights groups say 500 civilians were killed. The airstrikes, which had targeted military and security police posts as well as its infrastructure such as bridges and power stations, had been ordered in an effort to halt Milosevic's purge of separatist ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. It had been thought the convictions would be quietly forgotten after the new regime took power in October, but the warrants were belatedly issued.
The convictions have been branded "ridiculous" by Yugoslav pro-democracy leaders. Milosevic, now in jail for alleged corruption, has been indicted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal for suspected atrocities by his forces against Kosovo Albanians. But the tribunal rejected his government's demand for indictments of NATO government leaders. The Belgrade District Court said any changes to the verdict could be made only on appeal by the Supreme Court.
Appeal lodged
Serbian Deputy Justice Minister Djordje Ninkovics said the government hoped the verdict would be overturned on appeal, adding the court's move was embarrassing. "We are hostages of the former regime. They started the procedure and we cannot stop it without interfering (improperly in legal process). "The legal procedure has to follow its course without interference from executive authorities. "For our part, we feel discomfort about this turn of events. We hope ... the verdict will be overturned on appeal."
Slavisa Mrdakovic, who defended absent French President Jacques Chirac, Defence Minister Alain Richard and Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, said he had already lodged an appeal. Mrdakovic agreed the court only acted in line with legal procedure, but said his clients and the other locally convicted Western leaders could not visit Yugoslavia now without firm guarantees that they would not be arrested. "With these 'red' warrants any policeman is now entitled to arrest any of them. We intend to have a state ruled by law, one in which neither international nor domestic politics interferes with the judiciary," he said. "A possible way out could be for the (federal) Yugoslav or Serbian (republic) presidents to pardon these leaders. But in practice that would be politically impossible."
The French Embassy said it had no official comment. A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office said the matter had already been raised with the Yugoslav Government and it "hoped the matter will be resolved as soon as possible. She told CNN: "It will not prove a block on Robin Cook returning to the country -- but there are no immediate plans for him to go. This will not have a huge difference on his decision."
The list of leaders convicted by a Belgrade court:
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton
British Prime Minister Tony Blair
British Foreign Minister Robin Cook
Former British Secretary of Defence George Robertson
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer
German Defence Secretary Rudolf Scharping
French President Jacques Chirac
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine
French Defence Minister Alain Richard
Retired NATO commander General Wesley Clark
Former NATO Secretary General Javier Solana
