BETA DAILY NEWS
February 13, 2002

Nearly all Serbian TV stations broadcast live the beginning of former
Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's trial. The majority of media
gave information in a neutral manner regarding the beginning of
Milosevic's trial, including speculation on possible witnesses and new
extraditions.

Yugoslav politicians reacted similarly to the start of the trial.
Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic even said that he did not watch the
start of the process, adding that the trial was "something that
concerns only Milosevic, the chief prosecutor, and the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)," stressing that
"the most important thing is that this is no longer Yugoslavia's
problem."

Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said that he doubted a law on
cooperation with the ICTY could be adopted by the end of February,
rejecting the possibility of the government offering guarantees to the
tribunal for Milosevic's release from detention.

Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, who was staying in the
Ukrainian capital of Kiev, said the trial was "very important for our
people and the people of neighboring countries, because they need to
find out as much as possible about what happened between our
countries."

At the same time, one of Milosevic's closest associates, Nikola
Sainovic, denied information that he was considering voluntarily
surrendering to the ICTY, which has indicted him for war crimes in
Kosovo.

Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic said that the police have
not received a single demand from the Serbian government for the
extradition of an individual to the ICTY, adding that the Ministry was
"capable of meeting" all demands that might come from the Serbian
government.

MILOSEVIC TRIAL STARTS. The trial of former Yugoslav president
Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity in Kosovo and Croatia
and genocide and other crimes in Bosnia, began at the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on Feb. 12

Milosevic will first be prosecuted for crimes in Kosovo. After the
prosecutor's and Milosevic's opening statements, which could last up
to three days, witnesses will be heard.

Milosevic was taken into detention at The Hague on June 26, last year.
The trial has a historical importance for the victims, the peoples of
the former Yugoslavia, international law and justice.

British prosecutor Geoffrey Nice said that Milosevic had made a
considerable effort to cover his paritcipation in crimes in Bosnia.

The first day of the trial, believed by many to be historical, was
unspectacular, passing in a working atmosphere.

DJINDJIC SAYS OFFICIALS ACCUSED WITH MILOSEVIC MUST BE EXTRADITED.
Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic said on Feb. 12 that four former top
officials, accused together with Milosevic for war crimes in Kosovo,
must be extradited to the international war crimes tribunal.

Djindjic told Austrian journalists reporting on Austrian President
Thomas Klestil's visit, in Belgrade that, "This does not have an
alternative."

"I favor cooperation and oppose any risk to our country. Were they
honest they would have surrendered themselves. If they have nothing to
hide then this will be revealed," Djindjic was quoted as saying by the
Austrian APA news service.

Commenting on the start of Slobodan Milosevic's trial, Djindjic
indicated that the extradition of Serbian President Milan Milutinovic,
Nikola Sainovic, Vlajko Stojiljkovic and Dragoljub Ojdanic "is no
problem." "We have our laws," he said.

Djindjic said a bigger problem would be extraditing Republika Srpska
Gen. Ratko Mladic, who is alledgedly located in Serbia.

"He is not a citizen of Serbia and Serbia is in no way a country
providing asylym for someone internationally wanted," he said.

REACTIONS TO START OF MILOSEVIC TRIAL IN YUGOSLAVIA. Serbian Premier
Zoran Djindjic said on Feb. 12 that he missed the start of Slobodan
Milosevic's trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the
Former Yugoslavia.

After meeting Austrian President Thomas Klestil, Djindjic said
Milosevic's trial "is Milosevic's, the prosecutor's and tribunal's
problem" emphasizing that, "the most important thing is that it is no
longer a burden on Yugoslavia."

Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said he doubted that a bill on
cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal could be
adopted by the end of February.

"I doubt that a bill on cooperation with the war crimes tribunal,
which would envisage effective cooperation, including extradition, can
be adopted by the end of February," Batic told journalists in the
Serbian Legislature.

He said the federal cabinet would not act as a guarantee for
Milosevic, allowing for his possible release from pre-trial detention.

The Democratic Alternative party said on Feb. 12 that top state
officials needed to meet as soon as possible to define a clear
strategy for monitoring Slobodan Milosevic's trial, to prevent having
the blame for events in the former Yugoslavia pinned on the state.

Democratic Alternative party vice-president Nada Kolundzija told a
press conference that the state should form a body which would request
the right to be included in the proceedings against Milosevic from the
ICTY, to protect state and national interests.

Cedomir Jovanovic, the head of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia's
caucus in the Serbian Legislature, said the Milosevic trial "takes the
mortage of collective guilt off of society."

Zoran Zizic, the vice-president of the Socialist People's Party said,
"We will see whether Slobodan Milosevic's trial will be the trial of
an entire nation."

Serbian People's Party president Bozidar Bojovic said that Milosevic's
trial could turn into a trial of the entire Serbian nation.

Igor Luksic, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Socialists, said
the start of Milosevic's trial "is a symbolic end to a part of
history, which neither the citizens of Montenegro nor Serbia will
remember gladly."

People's Party president Dragan Soc declined to comment on the start
of Milosevic's trial.

Branko Kostic, president of the former Yugoslavia, was quoted by Radio
Montenegro as saying, "I am carefully watching" Milosevic's trial.

Kostic, who was president during the fighting around Dubrovnik, told
the station that the start of Milosevic's trial showed that there had
been a a bloody interior struggle in the former Yugoslavia.

Milosevic's wife Mirjana Markovic is watching her husband's trial at
home, Dragana Kuzmanovic, a spokeswoman for the Yugoslav Left and the
Sloboda Committee, told BETA.

Yugoslav legal expert Vojin Dimitrijevic said the Milosevic trial
would not put an entire nation on trial.

Zivorad Igic, a senior Socialist Party of Serbia official, said the
start of Milosevic's trial showed that the indictment against him "is
empty."

The League of Vojvodina Social Democrats said the trial "is the start
of a process to reveal individual responsibility for the immeasurable
crimes commmitted in the three wars in the former Yugoslavia."

NIKOLA SAINOVIC DENIES HE IS CONTEMPLATING SURRENDERING TO THE HAGUE.
One of the closest associates of former Yugoslav president Nikola
Sainovic denied on Feb. 12, the information that he is considering the
possibility of surrendering to the Hague tribunal which is accusing
him of war crimes in Kosovo.

"I have given no statement or comment related to the Hague tribunal.
All speculation in the media is unfounded," Sainovic said in a written
statement sent to BETA from the Socialist Party's headquarters in
Belgrade.

Sainovic is a Socialist Party's representative in the Yugoslav
parliament's lower house but did not attend the session on Feb. 12.

MIHAJLOVIC SAYS INTERIOR MINISTRY HAS RECIEVED NO REQUESTS FOR
TRANSFER OF SUSPECTS TO TRIBUNAL. Serbian Interior Minister Dusan
Mihajlovic said late on Feb. 12 that the interior ministry had
recieved no requests for anyone's extradition to the international war
crimes tribunal from the republican authorities, but added that the
ministry "is ready."

Mihajlovic denied claims that Serbian police were guarding retired
police Gen. Vlastimir Djordjevic and added that he did not now where
Djordjevic was, because, "the police does not keep evidence of
citizens' whereabouts."

A special envoy of the Council of Europe's secretary general, Hans
Peter Furrer, said that the implementation of the international war
crimes tribunal's statute "is a legitimate basis" for cooperation
bewteen Yugoslavia and the tribunal, but added that many Council of
Europe officials beleived that Yugoslavia needed legislation to
regulate cooperation with the tribunal.

YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS UKRAINE. Yugoslav Foreign Minister
Goran Svilanovic said in Kiev on Feb. 12, that the Yugoslav government
is supporting the new type of federation which will take into
consideration the Montenegrin aspirations for autonomy.

Svilanovic said at a press conference in Kiev that such a federation
should overcome Montenegrin government's policy of independence.

"It is important that all agreements we make respect two factors:
improving the situation in the region and the wish of Yugoslav, that
is Serbian and Montenegrin citizens," Svilanovic said.

"We support a federation on a new basis," he added.

He characterized the trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic as "very important for our citizens and the citizens of
neighboring countries so that as many facts as possible can be
revealed so we can find out what happened between our states."

MONTENEGRIN PARTY LEADER SAYS NO EXTRADITIONS BASED ON ICTY STATUTE.
The Montenegrin Socialist People's Party opposes the idea of Yugoslav
war crimes indictees being extradited to the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) solely based on the court's
statute, said party leader Predrag Bulatovic in Belgrade on Feb. 12.

He told journalists at the Yugoslav parliament that "there is neither
a legal nor constitutional basis for a direct application of the ICTY
statute."

"New extraditions eluding the laws and procedure in the Serbian
Legislature and Yugoslav parliament would not be good," Bulatovic
said, following a statement by the head of the lower house of the
Yugoslav parliament, Dragoljub Micunovic, saying that Yugoslav and
Serbian officials at a recent meeting have decided to resolve the
issue of cooperation with the ICTY during February.