VIEWPOINT: Milosevic Trial Biased - Former Russian Premier

VIEWPOINT: Milosevic trial biased - former Russian premier
RIA Novosti - September 27, 2005

MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov said Tuesday the Hague trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, indicted for war crimes in the Kosovo War, was biased.

Primakov, who also served as head of intelligence and currently is president of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said at the presentation of his new book, which comprises transcripts of Russian defense evidence at the Hague Tribunal: "It is hard to speak about the court's objectivity. The Tribunal is targeting a guilty verdict for Slobodan Milosevic."

Primakov appeared as a defense witness at Milosevic's trial, along with former President of the Council of Ministers of the U.S.S.R. Nikolai Ryzhkov, and Vice President of Russia's Academy of Geopolitical Problems General Colonel Leonid Ivashov.

Primakov said the trial of the former head of state might set precedent for bringing such trials against other national leaders.

"Milosevic took action to defend his country, and he probably made some mistakes, but they are not subject to international legal proceedings since he did not commit crimes against humanity," Primakov said.

He said it was necessary to draw lessons from past developments in former Yugoslavia that led to the splitting of the republic into several smaller states.

"It is necessary to step up integration within the boundaries of the former Soviet Union. For example, establishing a common economic space might contribute to stabilizing the situation," he said.

Primakov said another lesson was that former Soviet states should unite forces against possible aggression.

"If a country is a member of an [international] agreement, such as the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization, comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan], it will never be a victim of such aggression," he said.

Ryzhkov said Milosevic was being charged with 63 crimes. "If he was convicted even on a single one of the charges, he might be sentenced to any term - 5, 10, 25 years - except the death sentence," he said.