UN:The leader of Serbia's most popular political party was accused yesterday of inciting ethnic hatred that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people in former Yugoslavia.
At the start of his trial at the United Nations court in The Hague, prosecutors accused Vojislav Seselj, leader of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party, of recruiting and indoctrinating paramilitaries who tortured and killed civilians during the 1991-1995 wars in Bosnia and Croatia.
"Seselj repeatedly called for the 'liberation' of what he said were Serb lands. Unfortunately other people already lived there, people Seselj had no use for," said prosecutor Christine Dahl.
"In the end, Seselj did not achieve a Greater Serbia; he managed to achieve a lesser Serbia and gave the world the term 'ethnic cleansing'."
Mr Seselj (53) is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by forming a "joint criminal enterprise" with former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic to purge non-Serbs from much of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia's northern Vojvodina region.
Mr Seselj entered court wearing a dark blue suit and carrying a large briefcase, and took notes, smiled and appeared relaxed as the charges against him were laid out. He also laughed at archive footage of himself addressing rallies with allegedly inflammatory rhetoric.
Mr Seselj denies that his nationalist statements can be blamed for causing atrocities, and is due to make his opening statement today, having won the right to defend himself after going on a 28-day hunger strike last year.
Like Milosevic, who died in custody in The Hague last year, Mr Seselj accuses the UN court of anti-Serb bias, and has vowed to reveal a conspiracy against Belgrade by powers including the EU, US, Nato, Germany and the Vatican.
Much of the trial will be shown in Serbia after state television bowed to pressure from the Radical Party and a petition signed by some 700,000 people demanding coverage of the proceedings.
"We believe this is enormous strength, enormous energy, which Serbian citizens have shown in their wish that their requests be fulfilled, that they be allowed to follow [ the trial] and really see who is responsible for conflicts in the former Yugoslavia," said leading Radical Party member Aleksandar Vucic this week.
The Radicals won January's general election with 29 per cent of the votes, but were kept out of government by a fractious coalition of pro-western parties and less extreme nationalists.
In Belgrade, Radical Party activists have put up posters reading: "The trial begins - end Hague tyranny".
The trial of Mr Seselj, who surrendered to the UN court in 2003, comes at a time of resurgent nationalism in Serbia, as a result of widespread anger at Kosovo's bid for independence from Belgrade, which is supported by Washington and major EU states.
In Bosnia, police arrested retired Serb general Novak Djukic yesterday on suspicion of involvement in a 1995 shelling of the town of Tuzla, which killed 71 people.
