Tom Hundley - Knight-Ridder Tribune
December 03, 2003
LONDON -- The Bush administration has imposed heavy secrecy and censorship measures on the testimony of retired Gen. Wesley Clark, the former NATO commander seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, when he takes the stand later this month at the war crimes trial of Slobodan Milosevic.
The administration's action will blunt the drama of what many expected to be crucial moment in Milosevic's lengthy trial and perhaps one of the defining moments in the presidential campaign of Clark, who defeated the Yugoslav leader in the Kosovo campaign.
At the insistence of State Department's legal office, the courtroom's public gallery will be cleared when Clark is called to testify Dec. 15 and 16 in The Hague. Cameras that normally broadcast the proceedings on closed circuit television and the Internet will be blacked out.
There also will be a 48-hour delay on the release of the trial transcript that will enable State Department lawyers to examine Clark's testimony and request the deletion of portions that they deem harmful to national interests.
U.N. prosecutors are unhappy with the arrangement, but said they had little choice but to accept if they wanted Clark's testimony.
"It's always better when you have everything in public and out in the open, but this is the best we could get," said Florence Hartmann, spokeswoman for Carla Del Ponte, the chief prosecutor.
Under the rules that govern the International War Crimes Tribunal, secret testimony is allowable, but it has usually been reserved for officials dealing with sensitive intelligence matters or actively engaged in intelligence gathering. There also are secrecy provisions to protect rape victims or witnesses who have reason to fear for their safety.
But for a high profile public figure, the secrecy surrounding Clark's testimony is unprecedented, especially in light of the fact that Clark has written a lengthy book and numerous articles on NATO and the Kosovo war, and has freely given his opinion on these subjects as a TV commentator and presidential candidate.
"We are concerned about the perception, especially in the countries that were involved [in the war]," said Hartmann. "If you do things in a closed session, people think you are hiding something and that it is not a fair trial."
The State Department declined to answer specific questions about the clampdown on Clark's testimony, but denied that it was trying to censor him.
The reason the department wants a 48-hour delay to vet Clark's testimony "is not to discourage or hinder reporting but to allow for the maximum provision of information by General Clark to the Tribunal while at the same time protecting against the inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information," said Lou Fintor, a State Department spokesman.
Other senior political and military figures have testified in open court against Milosevic, including Klaus Naumann, the German general who commanded the NATO war in Kosovo, and British envoys Paddy Ashdown and David Owen. American diplomat William Walker, whose outrage at the Serb police massacre of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo galvanized U.S. opinion in support of military action, gave his testimony in open court.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has been the highest-ranking U.S. official to appear at The Hague. She gave her testimony in a public session during proceedings against the Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic.
When high-ranking officials are called as witnesses, the normal procedure for dealing with sensitive testimony is to allow representatives of their government to be present in the courtroom and to intervene if they believe the official's testimony might harm national interests. The tribunal then goes into a temporary closed session to deal with that portion of the testimony.
"Closed sessions are for victims who might be harmed, not governments who might be embarrassed," said a tribunal source.
The refusal to allow Clark to testify in public underlines the Bush administrations' hot and cold relationship with the war crimes tribunal. The administration, which underwrites a large part of the Tribunal's costs, continues to insist that all war criminals be brought to justice. At the same time, the administration has balked at sharing intelligence that would aid tribunal investigators and has thwarted attempts to call senior U.S. official as witnesses, according to Tribunal sources.
Last year, Hague prosecutors wanted to call former Balkan envoy Richard Holbrooke, but changed their minds when the Bush Administration insisted on closed sessions. Holbrooke, who probably knows Milosevic better than any other Western official, may yet be called, sources said.
Milosevic, who is acting as his own lawyer in these proceedings, is defending himself against charges of genocide and other crimes against humanity in connection with a decade of war in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Over the course of the trial, now in its 21st month, Milosevic has badgered and bullied witnesses. The technique has been effective with ordinary citizens from Bosnia and Kosovo, but has generally backfires when he tries to use it against experienced public figures.
Clark knows Milosevic well, having served as Holbrooke's military adviser during many hours of negotiations with the Serbian leader in Belgrade and during the Dayton peace talks. He later directed NATO's 78-day air campaign against Yugoslavia, forcing Milosevic to withdraw his troops from Kosovo.
Clark has stated his willingness to testify against Milosevic, and political observers have viewed his appearance at The Hague as an opportunity for him to boost his stature in a crowded Democratic field.
Clark declined to comment on the restrictions that have been imposed on him. At his campaign headquarters, spokesman Matt Bennett said "the campaign has no involvement at all in Gen. Clark's testimony."
posted on December 4, 2003 08:35:02 PM new
The very idea that there is anything political in this is appalling, and typical of the Bush hating left. Just because the administration doesn't say it's reasons, doesn't mean it doesn't have reasons for wanting Clark to testify in secret about things that happened years ago and before this administration was installed, er, elected. I'm sure it has something to do with the war on terror, and I for one feel safer for it. I seriously doubt that the President feels even remotely threatened by any attention General Clark might gain from this.
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on December 4, 2003 09:32:30 PM new
I don't think that you have to be a member of the Bush hating left to see that the Bush administration has committed some atrocious acts including an illegal war arranged by lying to the American people and resulting in the death of thousands of innocent people. In comparrison, this appalling political act is tame in comparison.
I won't feel safe until George Bush is out of office.
posted on December 5, 2003 05:32:48 AM new
Now bear and twelve.....we simply must be compassionate with helen. She suffers from BDS....explained in this article.
posted on December 5, 2003 08:28:27 AM new
Linda...
Helen is just upset the President Bush upstaged & stole Hillary's thunder last week. I read the article you linked to & totally agree.
"Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is "Political Correctness.'" --Charlton Heston
[ edited by BEAR1949 on Dec 5, 2003 08:30 AM ]
posted on December 5, 2003 08:51:36 AM new
And speaking of Hillary, this shows her opinion of the American fighting men & women in Afganastan.
Bagram GI: Troops Waited While Hillary Chowed Down
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton forced U.S. troops stationed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to wait for their Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday while she and her entourage arrived late, then cut in line and were served first.
A soldier who witnessed the scene tells NewsMax:
"Thanksgiving Dinner started at 3 p.m. that day, so the line was forming around 2:30 p.m. She didn't show up until around 3:30 p.m.
"Once she got there," our source maintains, "Clinton and her entourage bumped everyone in line, forcing them to wait almost an extra hour."
The brass at Bagram apparently had a hard time rounding up New Yorkers who wanted to have dinner with Clinton, D-N.Y. Only six GIs responded to an e-mail sent out last week that stated, "Looking for military members from New York and Rhode Island interested in meeting their Senator/Congressman."
People magazine was on hand to cover the event and wanted to interview the troops for reaction to Clinton's visit.
"But they were getting declined left and right," our source said. "People were actually telling the reporters, 'You don't want to print what I think about her and her visit.'"
After Clinton and her entourage departed, the only topics GIs wanted to talk about were "how great the food was and how fantastic they thought George Bush's visit to Iraq was."
And Helen, before you start blasting the source (Newsmax), reread the article, it was witnessed by People magazine reporters.
"Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is "Political Correctness.'" --Charlton Heston
[ edited by BEAR1949 on Dec 5, 2003 08:55 AM ]
posted on December 5, 2003 10:17:36 AM new
Hillary WHO?
"Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is "Political Correctness.'" --Charlton Heston
posted on December 5, 2003 10:46:15 AM new
OT to the profe - Would the quote you use as your tag line be from the same person who wrote this?
your tag line: The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
I ask because I just read this on 'The Federalist'.
P.J. O'Rourke: "The liberal is continually angry, as only a self-important man can be, with his civilization, his culture, his country and his folks back home. His is an infantile world view. At the core of a liberal is the spoiled child -- miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats."
I was thinking of using it as my tagline.....but it's a little long.
[ edited by Linda_K on Dec 5, 2003 10:52 AM ]
posted on December 5, 2003 12:16:25 PM new
That's why I like P.J. O'Rourke linda. He'll offend just about anybody if it suits his purpose. His quotes can be used by all. You g'head and take him if you want, I'm about to change my sig anyway. He often gets quoted by the right, but to my mind he's much more of a libertarian than a mainstream conservative. Here's another of my favorites:
I've always figured that if God wanted us to go to church a lot He'd have given us bigger behinds to sit on and smaller heads to think with.
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on December 5, 2003 12:20:23 PM new
shoot, helen...I was hoping I had 'em fooled
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on December 5, 2003 01:46:48 PM new
Profe's comment actually brought a tear to my eyes along with a profound sense of foreboding relevant to the welfare of our country and the condition of the world if an exceedingly intelligent individual such as Profe could have the wool pulled over his eyes so effectively by the Bush team.
What overwhelming relief when I found that the good professor was just teasing.
posted on December 5, 2003 07:50:24 PM new
Watch out, Helen. You're being attacked from the RIGHT. Don't worry, the LEFT has your back.
Come on guys (and gals). This is one of the most secretive administrations this country has ever had. Sure, there are some secrets that need to be kept for national security reasons. However, there are things that should not be secret. I for one am uncomfortable with any administration (Republican or Democrat) that goes so far out of its way to hide things. The funny thing about secrets is that they are never kept. Eventually they will come to light. That is if the person wanting to tell them can stay alive long enough to do so.
Edited to correct a spelling error. Darn that popup blocker!
posted on December 5, 2003 08:17:39 PM new
*looks at his boots*..."aw shucks...."
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
