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CNN Live At Daybreak
General Clark's Testimony Against Milosevic Made Public
Aired December 19, 2003 - 05:34 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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: General Wesley Clark's testimony against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been made public now.
Senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is covering that war crimes trial.
Walt joins us now live from London -- Walter, good morning.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
What we're seeing is a very argumentative Slobodan Milosevic, the former Serb president, now on trial in the Hague for alleged war crimes. He has been arguing with the judge, Judge May, the chief judge at the War Crimes Tribunal, saying that his trial is "a farce" and "scandalous." He has, Slobodan Milosevic, of course, has also been arguing with the witness, General Wesley Clark, the former supreme allied NATO commander in Europe, the man responsible for conducting the bombing campaign which forced Milosevic to pull his troops out of Kosovo.
It has been a very, very stormy session. Milosevic repeatedly lashes General Clark and has constantly been reprimanded by the head judge about his cross-examination, telling him the questions, among other things, were not germane and should not be asked. That has not stopped Mr. Milosevic, who, in General Clark's words, was quite petulant throughout this session.
The reason for all this, of course, is that General Clark has testified that Slobodan Milosevic, as the former president of Yugoslavia, had advanced knowledge of the massacre of some 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in July of 1995. Here's General Clark's testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FORMER SUPREME ALLIED NATO COMMANDER: I said, "Mr. President, you say you have so much influence over the Bosnian Serbs, but how is it, then, if you have such influence, that you allowed General Mladic to kill all those people in Srebrenica?" And Milosevic looked at me and for a -- he paused for a moment. He then said, "Well, General Clark," he said, "I warned Mladic not to do this but he didn't listen to me."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: General Clark was constantly, as I say, tongue lashed by Milosevic, who accused Clark of taking money from terrorist organizations for his presidential campaign for -- as a Democratic presidential candidate in the United States. Milosevic also suggested that General Clark had been dishonorably discharged from the Army and was not a man of character and principle -- Carol.
LIN: Walt, what do you make of what appears to be a very personal exchange between these two men before the World Court?
RODGERS: It is very personal. As a matter of fact, I was in the Hague on Tuesday when General Clark came out and said it was unduly personal. These were very vicious attacks on General Clark by Slobodan Milosevic. What we make of it, of course, is that former President Milosevic is playing not to the world audience so much as to Serbia. Of course, these videotapes will be played in Serbia, as much of the trial has been played in Serbia. And what Milosevic, of course, is doing is trying to reinstate himself among Serb nationalists. He is running for office there.
So, again, he doesn't really care what the rest of the world thinks. He's playing to his hometown audience -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much.
Walter Rodgers with the latest on that trial.
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 19, 2003 - 05:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: General Wesley Clark's testimony against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been made public now.
Senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is covering that war crimes trial.
Walt joins us now live from London -- Walter, good morning.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
What we're seeing is a very argumentative Slobodan Milosevic, the former Serb president, now on trial in the Hague for alleged war crimes. He has been arguing with the judge, Judge May, the chief judge at the War Crimes Tribunal, saying that his trial is "a farce" and "scandalous." He has, Slobodan Milosevic, of course, has also been arguing with the witness, General Wesley Clark, the former supreme allied NATO commander in Europe, the man responsible for conducting the bombing campaign which forced Milosevic to pull his troops out of Kosovo.
It has been a very, very stormy session. Milosevic repeatedly lashes General Clark and has constantly been reprimanded by the head judge about his cross-examination, telling him the questions, among other things, were not germane and should not be asked. That has not stopped Mr. Milosevic, who, in General Clark's words, was quite petulant throughout this session.
The reason for all this, of course, is that General Clark has testified that Slobodan Milosevic, as the former president of Yugoslavia, had advanced knowledge of the massacre of some 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in July of 1995. Here's General Clark's testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FORMER SUPREME ALLIED NATO COMMANDER: I said, "Mr. President, you say you have so much influence over the Bosnian Serbs, but how is it, then, if you have such influence, that you allowed General Mladic to kill all those people in Srebrenica?" And Milosevic looked at me and for a -- he paused for a moment. He then said, "Well, General Clark," he said, "I warned Mladic not to do this but he didn't listen to me."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: General Clark was constantly, as I say, tongue lashed by Milosevic, who accused Clark of taking money from terrorist organizations for his presidential campaign for -- as a Democratic presidential candidate in the United States. Milosevic also suggested that General Clark had been dishonorably discharged from the Army and was not a man of character and principle -- Carol.
LIN: Walt, what do you make of what appears to be a very personal exchange between these two men before the World Court?
RODGERS: It is very personal. As a matter of fact, I was in the Hague on Tuesday when General Clark came out and said it was unduly personal. These were very vicious attacks on General Clark by Slobodan Milosevic. What we make of it, of course, is that former President Milosevic is playing not to the world audience so much as to Serbia. Of course, these videotapes will be played in Serbia, as much of the trial has been played in Serbia. And what Milosevic, of course, is doing is trying to reinstate himself among Serb nationalists. He is running for office there.
So, again, he doesn't really care what the rest of the world thinks. He's playing to his hometown audience -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much.
Walter Rodgers with the latest on that trial.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
