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CNN Live At Daybreak

Reactions From Belgrade To Beginning of Milosevic War Crimes Trial

Aired February 12, 2002 - 05:42   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: As we've told you before, opening statements are underway in The Hague in the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

CNN's Alessio Vinci has reaction now via video phone. We've got the technical bugs worked out. Alessio is live in Belgrade. Alessio, what's going to happen today?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well hello, Carol. Nothing is scheduled here in Belgrade, as opposed to The Hague, where the trial is underway. It is, however, a trial that is being broadcast live on radio and television here throughout this country. I'm not sure that a majority of the Serbs will be glued to their radio and television sets. But it is a debate -- it is a trial that will generate a debate over the issue of war crimes, which has been largely ignored here throughout the tenure of the former president, Slobodan Milosevic. But, also, I think the new democratic leadership has taken power.

A majority of the people here in this country believe that Mr. Milosevic is guilty, but they do not necessarily believe that he is guilty of war crimes. They do believe that he is more responsible for crimes committed against his own people or during the ten years that he was in power. He ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of families. Millions of people throughout this country, and the people in this country would also like to see him perhaps tried here in this country and not in The Hague on war crimes charges.

The people in this country also challenge the legitimacy of The Hague tribunal, mainly because, of course, that tribunal was the subject of a damaging propaganda against the tribunal from the Milosevic regime, but also from the new leadership here. The Yugoslav President, Vojislav Kostunica, who has unseated President Milosevic more than a year ago has criticized that tribunal as being biased, as being against the Serbs.

And most of the people with whom we've been speaking here, they're telling us that if any war crime has been committed, it was not just the Serbs. There were all parties involved in the wars -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Is there much support for Slobodan Milosevic, though, even amongst the Serbs? I read an article the other day that they actually took his name out of the history books. VINCI: Well, no, there is not much support anymore for Slobodan Milosevic, Carol. Mainly because, as I told you, the vast majority of the people here believe that he is guilty of having ruined their lives. There was a recent demonstration here in downtown Belgrade protesting the beginning of the trial. Only some 8,000 people have turned out to that demonstration. So he is certainly losing a lot of support.

He is still nominally the president of the socialist party, but many analysts here say that as long has is name is not removed from that list -- from being the president of the socialist party -- that party will never be really -- receive any kind of votes that are significant in this country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Is it true that his family is still living in the presidential palace?

VINCI: No, it's not true. They're not living in the presidential palace. As a matter of fact, they never lived in the presidential palace. They were living in a house provided by the government. They do live in a posh area of Belgrade.

They do own a house -- a large house -- on a hill just outside the city center. It is a large house. There are some rumors that this house was illegally purchased by the Milosevic family; however, no specific charges have been brought against him on that issue. So he is, at least as far as we can tell, living in a house that he legally for now owns.

COSTELLO: Well, okay. Thank you, Alessio Vinci, reporting for us live from Belgrade. We're going to talk to Christiane Amanpour in our next our from The Hague. Thank you very much.

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