Milosevic: NATO attacked civilians

Milosevic checks his notes during the second day of his testimony

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic has accused NATO of deliberately bombing civilians.

During the second day of his testimony before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Friday, Milosevic, 60, mainly ignored the prosecution's case against him, instead outlining his own argument against NATO and the U.S. government.

He said he intended to call on world leaders as witnesses, including U.N Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Milosevic accused NATO of genocide. CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour said Milosevic "accused the accusing with his own accusation." (Read Amanpour's coverage of Milosevic's defence)

He showed a string of graphic photographs on Friday -- a tactic he also used on Thursday -- including the impact of NATO bombing on an Albanian refugee convoy on May 13, 1999, in which "dozens were killed."

VIDEO CNN's Christiane Amanpour says former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic continues a political offensive in his war crimes trial (February 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES • Key quotes: Milosevic  • Charges: A summary of the indictment  • Timeline: The Milosevic years  • The view from Serbia  • Speaking out for Kosovo's dead    EXTRA INFORMATION In pictures: Milosevic in court  In-Depth: The case against Milosevic  CNN Presents: The people against Milosevic    RESOURCES • On the scene: CNN's Alessio Vinci reports  • On the scene: Christiane Amanpour: Classic Milosevic    CNN.com Europe More news  from our European edition

NATO has denied intentionally targeting civilians, but Milosevic said a intercepted conversation between the bomber pilot and his command centre showed the airman had been ordered to fire despite knowing it was a civilian convoy.

The pictures also included gutted buildings and graphic photographs of corpses he said were victims of the bombing in Yugoslavia.

Milosevic added: "They were targeting peasants who were plowing their fields outside the village. This was a savage game where people were targets."

Judge Richard May later restricted Milosevic's opening statement to a total of 10 hours.

Milosevic, who gave a bullish defence during his opening day of defence on Thursday, added that action taken in Kosovo was against terrorists belonging to the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

He said he was a victim of twisted facts and "terrible fabrication."

Milosevic said the 1999 NATO bombing campaign was "the product of propaganda and the abuse of global media as a means of war against my country."

He attacked his trial and the NATO bombing of his country as "an outrage against a whole nation and a whole people."

Milosevic faces a total of 66 counts of genocide and other war crimes relating to a decade of strife in the republics that once made up Yugoslavia. Each count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. (Click for full list of charges)

He began giving evidence in his defence by showing a video recording of a German TV documentary.

It included a comment from a German general saying he was ashamed of his government during NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.

"This is just an atom ... in an ocean of lies ... against my country," Milosevic said following the video.

"Civilian targets," Milosevic said, "were NATO's main targets," pointing to the deaths of women, children and the elderly.

"They hit many more hospitals than they did tanks. They hit many more schools than they did tanks."

Amanpour added on Friday: "It is clear that his testimony is targeted at Serbian public opinion."