Rugova and Milosevic cross swords

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Kosovo's president has traded accusations with Slobodan Milosevic across a tense courtroom in a bitter confrontation over the former Yugoslav leader's role in repression of the disputed Serb province.

Ibrahim Rugova, the most prominent official to appear for the prosecution in the U.N. war crimes trial at The Hague since it began in February, calmly described the tension that erupted into a conflict between Kosovo's independence fighters and Serb government forces in 1998-1999.

CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley said Rugova's description of cool ethnic cleansing by Milosevic -- unleashing "a wave of violence" against ethnic Albanians -- was the most damning line so far against Milosevic, and the prosecutors would be grateful.

Milosevic, defending himself against charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, fired a volley of questions back at Rugova during fierce cross-examination on Friday.

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"Mr. Rugova, do you think that you personally and the Kosovo Albanians were used as a means of implementing the will of the Great Powers. Yes or No?" asked Milosevic, who has repeatedly accused the West of seeking to destroy Yugoslavia.

"We were not used. The international community came out in our defence and the human rights of our people and the massacres being perpetrated by Belgrade and you. That is the truth," Rugova replied.

"Well history gives many examples to the contrary," Milosevic shot back.

Rugova, dressed in a characteristic dark blazer and polka dot scarf, told the court: "Belgrade clearly decided to destroy Kosovo through violence and war.

"This was a calmly done cleansing of the population. We all know what happened in 1998 and 1999," the witness said as Milosevic sat nonchalantly in the dock, scribbling notes and stifling a yawn.

When Milosevic became Serbia's president in 1989, pledging never to allow Kosovo to secede from Yugoslavia, he revoked Kosovo's autonomy in an attempt to undercut the separatist movement, leading to fierce resistance in Kosovo.

"That was political violence" Rugova told the court, describing how antagonism grew as Serb authorities in Belgrade fired thousands of Kosovo Albanians from government jobs "just because of their ethnicity."

"After the revocation of the autonomy of Kosovo and Serb rule was established, several institutions were suspended and police control was established over Kosovo," he added.

Rugova, who said he helped to found the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) in 1989 to try to restore the democratic rights of the disputed province's ethnic Albanian majority, was elected president of Kosovo by the province's parliament in March.

Milosevic, who has been on trial since February, is accused of responsibility for killing more than 900 Kosovo Albanians and the expulsion of about 800,000 during a violent Serb crackdown that triggered NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia.

Rugova has not met Milosevic since a stage-managed meeting by the Serb strongman during the 1999 bombing campaign. At the time Serb forces were driving masses of Kosovo Albanians from their homes amid mass killings.

Rugova was criticised at the time by radical ethnic Albanians for the meeting as well as a general policy of passive resistance that they said encouraged violence.

He fled abroad soon after the meeting and did not immediately return to Kosovo despite NATO's bombing having driven Serb forces out in June 1999 and the province becoming an international protectorate. Nevertheless, he returned to be voted in as president of Kosovo in March this year.

Milosevic is charged for war crimes in Bosnia and Croatia but his trial is currently focusing on accusations of crimes against humanity relating to Kosovo.

The court face-off comes a day after a senior aide to Yugoslav ex-President Milosevic, Nikola Sainovic, surrendered to the U.N. international war crimes tribunal for the region. (Full story)

Sainovic pleaded not guilty at the Hague on Friday to five counts of violations of the laws and customs of war and crimes against humanity as they were read out to him by an official during a brief first appearance in the court.

Serbia's former deputy prime minister -- the second most important political figure to face war crimes charges after Milosevic -- gave himself up to The Hague where he is wanted for alleged war crimes in Kosovo.

He was among five indicted war crimes suspects still in Yugoslavia who had said they would turn themselves in rather than subject themselves to arrest and extradition for alleged Balkans war atrocities.

Sainovic was the former president's security adviser in charge of Kosovo during NATO's 1999 bombardment of Yugoslavia.