Witness ID’d as Ex-Ally of Milosevic

Judges at Slobodan Milosevic’s war crimes trial revealed Friday that a secret witness testifying against the former Yugoslav president is Milan Babic, once one of his key allies.

Babic allowed his name to be released after three weeks on the witness stand. His lawyer said he had decided to contribute to reconciliation in the Balkans.

Before Friday, the court had referred to Babic as Witness C-61 and forbidden publication of his name, though his identity was widely known in the Balkans. Most of his evidence was given behind closed doors, and his voice and image were distorted.

Babic, 46, trained as a dentist, was a ranking Croatian Serb leader when the Serbian minority revolted after Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991. He served as president of Croatia’s self-declared rebel Serb republic of Krajina.

Milosevic is accused of providing Krajina Serbs with money and military support in a campaign to remove non-Serbs from Croatia’s coast. Babic was later ousted as Krajina’s leader, at Milosevic’s urging.

During a war that lasted until 1995, Croatian Serb forces seized parts of the country with the backing of the Yugoslav army.

Babic testified earlier that Milosevic, who was president of Serbia in the early 1990s, played a key political and military role behind the scenes in Croatia, despite Milosevic’s denials.

The two crossed swords during cross-examination Friday.

“Mr. Milosevic, in 1991 you waged a horrific war,” Babic said in response to Milosevic’s questioning. “You dragged the Serbian people into that war.... You brought misfortune on the Croatian people, upon the Muslim people.”