THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Slobodan Milosevic cross-examined the first witness in his war crimes trial yesterday, seeking to discredit a Kosovo Albanian politician who accused the Yugoslav government of imposing a system of apartheid in Kosovo.

At times sarcastic and patronizing, Milosevic read from a stack of handwritten notes as he vigorously questioned the former head of the Communist Party in Kosovo, Mahmut Bakalli.

The two engaged in a fierce political wrangle that lasted for nearly four hours. They tussled at length as Milosevic pointed out contradictions in the witnesses" testimony over alleged atrocities in Kosovo, a province of Serbia.

Trial spectators commended Milosevic, saying his efforts appeared serious and legally relevant. The former Yugoslav president studied law, but yesterday"s cross-examination was the first time he performed as a trial lawyer. He has refused to appoint a defense attorney, calling his trial illegitimate.

Unlike his lengthy, often rambling opening statement, Milosevic remained focused, though aggressive.

"What we have seen this morning was a very, very forceful, vigorous cross-examination," said Richard Dicker, head of the international justice program at the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

After a week of opening statements from the defense and the prosecution, Bakalli"s testimony and cross-examination initiated the evidentiary stage of the trial, which could last up to two years.

Milosevic, 60, is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Kosovo and Croatia, and of genocide in Bosnia during the 1991-99 Balkan wars. He could be sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted on any one of 66 counts.

In his 10-hour opening statement, he scorned charges that he was responsible for thousands of murders and nearly a million deportations, and accused Western countries of inflaming ethnic tensions to hasten the disintegration of Yugoslavia and assert their domination.

Bakalli told the court Monday the Yugoslav leadership under Milosevic had planned to wipe out 700 Muslim settlements in Kosovo as part of a "scorched earth policy," but that the Serb security forces were unhappy with the plan.

Milosevic confronted Bakalli on his testimony in which he said Milosevic had known of the killing of more than 40 members of the Jashari family in early 1998. Under tribunal precedent, the defendant may be convicted of war crimes committed by subordinates if he was aware of the crimes and declined to prevent them or punish the perpetrators.

Describing one of his meetings with Milosevic in 1998, Bakalli said: "I told him: "You are killing women and children,"" referring to the police action against the Jasharis in the village of Prekaz.