World News 19-09-2000 Tony Blair and Bill Clinton On Trial For War Crimes who: Tony Blair and Bill Clinton what: Accused of war crimes in show trial where: Belgrade when: Yesterday snippet: "The `Alice in Wonderland` trial in absentia of 14 Western leaders including Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Jacques Chirac opened in Belgrade yesterday," writes The Independent`s Vesna Peric Zimonjic in Belgrade. "The leaders stand accused of war crimes against Yugoslavia carried out during the 11-week Nato bombing campaign last year." "With plainclothes policemen, relatives of those killed, and reporters packing the public gallery," says Richard Beeston in The Times, "Judge Veroljub Rakitic read out five charges to 14 empty chairs bearing the names of the accused, including President Clinton, Mr Blair, Chancellor Schröder and President Chirac". It took three hours to read out the list of charges of crimes against humanity, which included the attacks on Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo - resulting in the deaths of 503 civilians, 240 soldiers and 147 police officers - and the use of illegal "cluster bombs". Meanwhile, the European Union has sent a message to the people of Serbia that there will be an end to economic sanctions if President Milosevic is ousted in the elections this weekend, reports the BBC. "A choice, leading to a democratic change, would lead to a radical modification of the European Union`s policy towards Serbia," said a statement yesterday. "The EU also agreed to give all the other states of the former Yugoslavia almost unfettered access to its markets," reports Richard Beeston. "It will allow Croatia, Bosnia and Albania to export 95 per cent of their industrial and agricultural products to EU countries duty free". [... more]

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