Irish Chief of Staff to testify at Milosevic trial

The Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, Colm Mangan, is due to testify at the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic later today.

Lieutenant Mangan is due to give evidence about the bombing of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik by Serb forces for three consecutive days in October 1991.

Mr Milosevic is accused of controlling the Serb forces and of ordering the bombardment as part of his alleged plans to ethnically cleanse Croats and non-Serbs from around one-third of Croatian territory.

Lieutenant Mangan oversaw a UN monitoring mission in Croatia at the time of the attack.

Mr Milosevic is facing a range of war crimes charges, including genocide, in connection with the Croatian and Bosnian Wars between 1991 and 1995 and the Kosovan conflict in 1999.

The former Yugoslav President is accused of seeking to expel Muslims and Croats from Serb-majority areas in an effort to create a Greater Serbia during the collapse of the former Yugoslavia.