"Army had nothing to do with Albanian exodus"

General Vladimir Lazarevic, one of the Kosovo Six, continued his defense at the Hague. On the last day of Lazarevic’s cross-examination, the prosecutor returned to what is, as he himself said, his favorite topic – the question whether the Joint Command of the army and the police in Kosovo existed or not. "Army had nothing to do with Albanian exodus" Since the beginning of the trial of the six former Serbian officials charged with Kosovo crimes in 1999, the prosecution has been trying to prove that there existed a Joint command and that it served Slobodan Milosevic as an informal body implementing the plan for the expulsion of Albanian civilians. The prosecution alleges that Lazarevic, a former Yugoslav Army (VS) general, was himself a member of this body. Together with other five politicians and generals, Lazarevic is charged with taking part in a joint criminal enterprise whose goal was to change the ethnic balance of the province. When Lazarevic called the Joint command a non-existent body, the prosecution showed minutes from a meeting of the Interdepartmental Staff for the Fight against Terrorism from October 1998. At that meeting, Slobodan Milosevic invites Nebojsa Pavkovic, the then Pristina Corps commander, to present a report on behalf of the Joint Command. Lazarevic first contended that the person taking minutes might have made a mistake. When the prosecutor showed him that the Joint Command was mentioned in ten other places, Lazarevic repeated what he had said in his examination-in chief: the joint command was a term used for combined operations of the army and police, and not a body. In his examination-in-chief, Lazarevic said that the term armed non-Albanian population used in a number of military documents referred to the Civil Defense troops subordinated to the Ministry of Defense. The prosecution then showed him a document issued by the General Staff in February 1999 ordering them to participate in actions together with the VJ units. Lazarevic replied that such an order was, in his view, in the sphere of the impossible as the army had no authority over these groups. Many witnesses testifying for the prosecution identified local armed Serbs as the perpetrators of the gravest crimes against civilians. According to the prosecution, these local armed Serbs were actually the people behind the phrase armed non-Albanian population. Lazarevic admitted yesterday that during the war, he was aware of the fact that many people left Kosovo, but rejected the possibility that the army was responsible for this. The people fled from the battlefield and this caused concern for the army, he told the court. The general testifying in his own defense will be re-examined by Mihajlo Bakrac, his defense counsel. Lazarevic’s testimony will thus take full fifteen working days.

"Army had nothing to do with Albanian exodus"

Since the beginning of the trial of the six former Serbian officials charged with Kosovo crimes in 1999, the prosecution has been trying to prove that there existed a Joint command and that it served Slobodan Milošević as an informal body implementing the plan for the expulsion of Albanian civilians.

The prosecution alleges that Lazarević, a former Yugoslav Army (VS) general, was himself a member of this body. Together with other five politicians and generals, Lazarević is charged with taking part in a joint criminal enterprise whose goal was to change the ethnic balance of the province.

When Lazarević called the Joint command a non-existent body, the prosecution showed minutes from a meeting of the Interdepartmental Staff for the Fight against Terrorism from October 1998.

At that meeting, Slobodan Milošević invites Nebojša Pavković, the then Priština Corps commander, to present a report on behalf of the Joint Command. Lazarević first contended that the person taking minutes might have made a mistake.

When the prosecutor showed him that the Joint Command was mentioned in ten other places, Lazarević repeated what he had said in his examination-in chief: the joint command was a term used for combined operations of the army and police, and not a body.

In his examination-in-chief, Lazarević said that the term armed non-Albanian population used in a number of military documents referred to the Civil Defense troops subordinated to the Ministry of Defense.

The prosecution then showed him a document issued by the General Staff in February 1999 ordering them to participate in actions together with the VJ units.

Lazarević replied that such an order was, in his view, in the sphere of the impossible as the army had no authority over these groups.

Many witnesses testifying for the prosecution identified local armed Serbs as the perpetrators of the gravest crimes against civilians. According to the prosecution, these local armed Serbs were actually the people behind the phrase armed non-Albanian population.

Lazarević admitted yesterday that during the war, he was aware of the fact that many people left Kosovo, but rejected the possibility that the army was responsible for this.

The people fled from the battlefield and this caused concern for the army, he told the court.

The general testifying in his own defense will be re-examined by Mihajlo Bakrac, his defense counsel. Lazarević’s testimony will thus take full fifteen working days.