General's testimony: What will Wesley Clark be talking about in The Hague?

Clark is expected to begin witnessing November 18th or 19th.

Under the presence of Pentagon representatives and the US State Department, former NATO Commander Wesley Clark had conducted an 11-page interview for Hashim Thaci's defence lawyers.

As it becomes known through a statement of defence, this interview will be further relaxed and used as evidence even in its testimony that I will physically give at The Hague tribunal on the KLA side.

Among the many issues, Clark there speaks of 78 days of NATO bombings on Serbian targets in 1999, which led to the final surrender of Serbia and the liberation of Kosovo.

Clark's testimony will also be guided in describing NATO's efforts to implement the agreement between Richard Holbrooke and Slobodan Milosevic of October 1998.

The central part of Clark's confession is also the interactions he has had with the KLA, as well as the Kosovo delegation in Rambouillet, and especially with Hashim Thaci. As lawyers explain, it presents its observations and impressions regarding the lack of KLA structure and organisation, as well as the lack of any functional command or control.

In addition, it explains also the lack of control Hashim Thaci had over the KLA, which he describes as “the inexperienced military political figure”, which “was unfair that the wrong conduct of others were attributed to him”.

Clark in his initial interview has denied that KLA leaders have been involved in trying to coordinate attacks against Serb civilians or other minorities in the summer of 1999, following Kosovo's liberation.

Clark's 11-page testimony will be detailed throughout the November days when he will answer the questions of defence, prosecution and judges regarding the circumstances described by him himself.

The former American military is the fifth consecutive defence witness in the trial of former KLA leaders. The first to testify was former US Assistant Secretary of State during wartime in Kosovo James Rubin.

After that, Paul Williams, adviser to the Kosovo delegation in Rambouille, testified. The third was John Duncan, former Clark adviser, and the fourth was Jock Covey, Kosovo deputy prime minister from 1999 to 2001./Periscopi/