Milosevic asks court to subpoena Bill Clinton

[Catherine Vincent]

Milosevic asks court to subpoena Bill Clinton
By Marlise Simons The New York Times

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2006

PARIS Lawyers for Slobodan Milosevic have asked the court trying him for war crimes to issue a subpoena for Bill Clinton to testify at the trial.

The request, filed last week and disclosed Tuesday, said the testimony was needed "to ensure that the trial is both informed and fair." It said that Clinton, who was president during most of the Balkan wars of the 1990s, played a "continuous role and had unique knowledge" of events.

The three judges in charge of the trial, being held at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, are expected to decide on the issue in the next few weeks. Last year, they turned down similar requests to subpoena Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain and the former German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder.

The British lawyers who filed the motion, Steven Kay and Gillian Higgins, said they were seeking a subpoena because other avenues to obtain Clinton's testimony had been closed. Citing correspondence and meetings with U.S. officials that began in 2004, they said they were told that the U.S. government opposed having Clinton testify.

The trial began in 2002 and is expected to end in May. It is currently in the phase in which the former Balkan strongman is defending himself.

The lawyers provided a list of 13 topics for discussion with Clinton, but the list was not disclosed. However, an idea of what Milosevic has in mind can be gleaned from a letter he sent to Clinton's New York office last year.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/02/news/hague.php

[zbdent]

1. Gee, I wonder how many dittododoes are going to say

"Send Clinton over for a war crimes trial - his!" on a war they don't accept as a "war", and Bush is committing far worse . . . I haven't heard a peep about our forces committing "frat pranks" during Clinton's era . . .

[dusmcj]

2. the monkeys and the giant, in court

that would be fucking funny. Maybe Slobo ought to trot out his ugly murderess wife and Radovan and Radko, they could "gang up" on Bill and "get back at him". Another culture with a greater abundance of housecleaning to do than even the average... Shame these assholes are able to waste ICJ time and money - make a concentration camp with showers and three squares a day for ex-leaders of failed reactionary regimes, there might be a potential US population there shortly as well.

[RB TexLa]

3. U.S. government opposed having Clinton testify WTF???

The US government has no say on who testifies in a court they have no jurisdiction over, regardless of the person's prior elective offices.

Granted Clinton might would not be able to revel certain information but I can't see how the US government could ever make such a statement or take such a position on someone who is not currently serving in elective office.