Milosevic trial begins

The trial of ousted Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic has begun in the Hague.

UN war crimes tribunal chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte said the crimes which will be prosecuted by the tribunal "offend against our deepest principles of human rights".

She said Slobodan Milosevic was being prosecuted "as an individual, on the basis of his individual criminal responsibility" and that a whole nation was not on trial.

"I do of course intend to explore the degree to which the power and influence of the accused extended over others," she added.