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CNN Live At Daybreak
Wesley Clark Testifies in Milosevic Trial
Aired December 16, 2003 - 06:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: General Wesley Clark is back in front of a war crimes tribunal today to testify against former Yugoslav leader, Slobodan Milosevic. But today, Milosevic is the one asking the questions.
Joining us with more on day two of the trial is our senior international correspondent, Walter Rodgers, live from The Hague.
And Wesley Clark is on the stand right now, right, Walter?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. Behind me, the International War Crimes Tribunal, but it is also the site of good theater and high drama.
Wesley Clark, the former NATO commander during the NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia, is on the witness stand, but he is now being cross-examined by a very skilled attorney, former Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, who is also in the dock accused of genocide and war crimes.
Now, General Clark yesterday said this trial of Milosevic is a kind of judicial closure, the kind of international justice and rule of law that the world has come to know and need. And he said that he expects to come out and talk to us in just a few minutes and give us some idea of what's being done in there.
Of course, Milosevic is cross-examining General Clark today. He's expected to have challenged General Clark's credibility. Clark has been under something of a disadvantage. He is, of course, a Democratic presidential candidate in the United States, but he's also under the strictures of U.S. law. And the Bush administration has laid down the law that Clark's testimony was not to be live, not to be made public until the Bush administration's censors had a chance to go over that testimony.
Now, there's a modicum of reason in all of that, because General Clark did have access to security intercepts and American intelligence sources. So, he could perhaps inadvertently betray some intelligence contacts during his testimony against Milosevic, but there are many in Europe who see this as a blatant cynical attempt by the Bush administration to muzzle General Clark and deny him a venue in his run for the presidency -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers reporting live from The Hague this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired December 16, 2003 - 06:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: General Wesley Clark is back in front of a war crimes tribunal today to testify against former Yugoslav leader, Slobodan Milosevic. But today, Milosevic is the one asking the questions.
Joining us with more on day two of the trial is our senior international correspondent, Walter Rodgers, live from The Hague.
And Wesley Clark is on the stand right now, right, Walter?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. Behind me, the International War Crimes Tribunal, but it is also the site of good theater and high drama.
Wesley Clark, the former NATO commander during the NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia, is on the witness stand, but he is now being cross-examined by a very skilled attorney, former Serb President Slobodan Milosevic, who is also in the dock accused of genocide and war crimes.
Now, General Clark yesterday said this trial of Milosevic is a kind of judicial closure, the kind of international justice and rule of law that the world has come to know and need. And he said that he expects to come out and talk to us in just a few minutes and give us some idea of what's being done in there.
Of course, Milosevic is cross-examining General Clark today. He's expected to have challenged General Clark's credibility. Clark has been under something of a disadvantage. He is, of course, a Democratic presidential candidate in the United States, but he's also under the strictures of U.S. law. And the Bush administration has laid down the law that Clark's testimony was not to be live, not to be made public until the Bush administration's censors had a chance to go over that testimony.
Now, there's a modicum of reason in all of that, because General Clark did have access to security intercepts and American intelligence sources. So, he could perhaps inadvertently betray some intelligence contacts during his testimony against Milosevic, but there are many in Europe who see this as a blatant cynical attempt by the Bush administration to muzzle General Clark and deny him a venue in his run for the presidency -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers reporting live from The Hague this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
