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Milosevic Defies U.N. Court as Indictments Mount
THE HAGUE, Aug 30 (News Agencies) - A defiant Slobodan Milosevic made his second appearance before the U.N. war crimes tribunal Thursday, dismissing it as a "false tribunal" and saying he was subjected to "massive violation" of his rights.
Directly after the hearing, chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte hit back saying she would be adding two new indictments charging the former Yugoslav president with genocide, the most serious war crime, for his role in the Bosnian war and with war crimes for atrocities committed in Croatia.
The wars in the former republics of Yugoslavia, which raged from 1991 until 1995, left 250,000 dead.
Milosevic currently faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the 1998-99 Serb crackdowns on Muslim Albanians in the Serbian province in Kosovo.
At the hearing, Milosevic complained about his detention, saying he had been kept in "total isolation" in jail in The Hague since his transfer from Belgrade on June 28th.
He asked the court to explain "why my family cannot visit me as others have that possibility." His wife Mira has been allowed to visit him twice in jail.
Milosevic's court appearance lasted about 40 minutes during which he said he had prepared a written statement so that the court could not cut off his microphone as it had done during his first hearing.
But presiding Judge Richard May switched off Milosevic's microphone again Thursday just before ending the proceedings when Milosevic began a verbal attack on the court, telling him the tribunal would not listen to any political arguments.
Milosevic again refused representation before the tribunal, saying the body was illegal. "I don't see why I have to defend myself in false tribunal for false indictment," he told the judges, speaking in English.
Judge May said he would appoint a representative on Milosevic's behalf, who will not defend the indictee but only assist the court in future hearings.
During his first appearance on July 3rd, Milosevic refused to enter a plea and challenged the court's legitimacy to try him.
Judge Patrick Robinson said the judges feel "it is wrong to impose counsel on the accused…. He has chosen to defend himself, he has made that abundantly clear," Robinson told the prosecution.
Thursday's hearing, a so-called "status conference", was to ensure that Milosevic understood the charges against him as well as giving him a chance to raise any issues relating to the case, including his mental and physical condition.
Judge May also set a rough timetable for the trial saying he would like to fix a date within the first two months of next year. This date, however, would only apply to the Kosovo indictment.
A spokeswoman for Del Ponte said that the chief prosecutor would sign two new indictments on October 1st. These charges relate to Milosevic's role in the war in Croatia (1991-95) and the Bosnian war (1992-95).
A judge will have to confirm the indictments after the prosecution submits them. The cases are likely to be joined in a single trial for Milosevic.
The next status conference in the Milosevic case is scheduled for October 29th, when the prosecution is expected file a motion to join the indictments.
The formal trial is not expected to begin before the autumn of 2002.
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