AP
Slobodan Milosevic

United Nations prosecutors have described former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic as responsible for the worst crimes known to mankind.

Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte issued the assessment as Mr. Milosevic went on trial before the Hague tribunal on war crimes and genocide charges. Ms. del Ponte insisted that Mr. Milosevic's role in the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s was the result of his personal quest for power - an effort she described as an example of medieval savagery. She insisted the case focus on the actions of the former Yugoslav leader as an individual, not on any state, organization or people.

Associate prosecutor Geoffrey Nice said the key issue is why Mr. Milosevic failed to act to halt atrocities, because he must have known what was happening.

Prosecutors will continue presenting their case Wednesday, before Mr. Milosevic begins his arguments. They are expected to focus first on the former Yugoslav leader's role in the Kosovo conflict, then turn their attention to the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He is accused of responsibility for policies that led to the massacres of thousands of non-Serbs and left millions homeless.

Mr. Milosevic has rejected the legality of the court and the charges against him and has refused to enter a plea or name a defense lawyer. Judges at the tribunal entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.

However, legal advisers describe Mr. Milosevic as confident and ready for trial. They said he plans to call present and former world leaders to appear before the court to testify that they once considered him a peacemaker in the Balkans.

Some information for this report provided by AP, DPA and AFP.

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