Former Serbian president MilanMilutinovic today pleaded not guilty to crimes againsthumanity during the 1999 Kosovo conflict as he made his firstcourt appearance since surrendering to the Hague tribunal.
The former ally of ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevicdenied four counts of crimes against humanity including murder,deportation and persecutions, and one charge of war crimes atthe U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia.
Milutinovic, whose five-year term as president of Serbiaended late last month, flew to The Hague a week ago. He wasindicted in 1999 along with Milosevic and three other formersenior officials for atrocities against Albanians in Kosovo, thesouthern province of Serbia now under United Nations rule.
The white-haired Milutinovic, dressed in a dark suit,striped shirt and blue tie, looked pale but poised as hedeclared "not guilty" to each of the counts.
Prosecutors allege Milutinovic, 60, had at least formalcontrol over Serb forces who killed hundreds of ethnic Albaniansand expelled hundreds of thousands from their homes.
But Milutinovic has argued that that as president of Serbia-- the dominant of the remaining two republics of Yugoslavia --he had little real power.
Named along with Milutinovic on the Kosovo indictment wereformer Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, ex-armychief Dragoljub Ojdanic and former Serb Interior Minister VlajkoStojiljkovic.