Western leaders face trial in belgrade

　　It looks like bill clinton and tony blair won't be taking a moonlit cruise on the danube anytime soon: bot h are facing an angry judge at a trial in Yugoslavia fo r war crimes they allegedly committed during NATO's air strikes last year.

　　The alleged crimes have cast a wide net, ensnaring sceretary of state madeleine Albright, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder- a total of 14 leaders of the Western world.

　　But unlike the protracted legal battles clinton has faced in the US, Yugoslavian justice was moving quickly to condemn ad convict.

　　The trial is already under way and is expected to w rap up by sept.24, the day of Yugoslavia's presidential and parliamentary elections, in which presientd sloboda n milosevic-who was indicted for war crimes in kosovo b y the united nations in may -is seeking a second term.

　　The belgrade district court accused them of violati ng international law, the UN Charter, and the country's criminal law for staging an invasion against a sovereig n, state, war crimes against civilians, and the use of banned munitions.

　　A total of 504 yugoslav civilians, 240 servicemen, and 147 policemen were estimated to have been killed du ring the March 24-june 10 NATO air strikes last year.

　　More than 1,000 pieces of evidence covering over 50 0 incidents are expected to be presented at the cour, w hich will include spot investigation reports, forensic reports, statements of witnesses, photographs and video tapes.

　　The accused face sentences of up to 20 yers in pris on if found guilty. Regardless of whether the testimony will lead to clinton or the 13 other western political leaders doing time in a serb jail, the accounts nonethe less served as a poignant and tragic reminder of the ho rrors that have ravaged the former yugoslavia.

　　NATO insisten throughout the campaign that it was a iming only at military targets and took all possible pr ecautions to avoid civilian casualties. However, the US - based Human Rights watch said in february that 500 ci vilians had been killed by the air strikes.