MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) - Leonid Ivashov and Nikolai Ryzhkov are flying on Friday to The Hague to appear as witnesses for defense at the trial of ex-Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, Leonid Ivashov, vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, told RIA Novosti.

"Nikolai Ryzhkov and myself are flying on Friday to The Hague to give evidence. The current head of Russia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yevgeny Primakov, will also go to The Hague at the end of the month," Mr. Ivashov said.

He pointed out that the aim of his appearance at the trial is to give objective witness evidence about processes that were under way inside the federal republic of Yugoslavia and around it.

Mr. Ivashov motivated his desire to address the court by the fact that "on the other side high-profile NATO officials come forward with statements, exonerating themselves and justifying the aggression. They demonize Milosevic, the Serbs and the political leadership of Yugoslavia."

According to him, the Russian representatives will appear in the courtroom of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on Saturday and Sunday.

This week, defense witnesses for the former Yugoslav president resumed giving evidence. Slobodan Milosevic is accused of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina and crimes against humanity in Croatia and Kosovo. The first to take the witness stand was Mihail Markovic, who was considered to be the ideologist of the Socialist Party of Serbia, whose chairman is still Mr. Milosevic.

Mr. Ivashov took a direct part in efforts to settle the Kosovo crisis as a representative of Russia's Defense Ministry, while Mr. Ryzhkov headed the committee of the State Duma (lower house of Russian parliament) to render assistance to Yugoslavia. Mr. Ivashov repeatedly visited the country and had meetings with the Yugoslav leadership. Yevgeny Primakov in March 1999, being Russia's prime minister, turned back his plane over the Atlantic on which he was flying for a visit to the United States in protest against the US decision to begin the bombing of Yugoslavia.

The tribunal in September of this year attempted, contrary to the will of Mr. Milosevic who was defending himself, to saddle him with a Western lawyer whose remit included defining defense witnesses, the nature of evidence, and its interpretation. Following which witnesses began refusing en masse to testify.

Also refusing to come to The Hague were Russian witnesses for Mr. Milosevic, since "in those conditions appearance as a defense witness could be used against Milosevic and did not promote objectivity and adoption of a just decision," the Russian general indicated.

The resumption of the trial became possible after the court again allowed the accused to defend himself.

Judge Patrick Robinson said in The Hague last week that Mr. Milosevic must complete his defense within 150 working days and any unpremeditated break unconnected with an illness will be included in this period. Mr. Milosevic indicated that he would demand an extension of the period concerned, allocated for his defense. He also requested that former and current western leaders - Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Madeleine Albright, Wesley Clark, Gerhard Schroeder and Rudolf Scharping - be summoned to the trial and heard out.