"The referral of the ICTY case was preceded by a complex procedure consisting of numerous steps regarding legislative adjustment and additional training of judges and public prosecutors," the minister told Hina on the phone.
Explaining its decision to refer the Norac-Ademi case to Croatia, the ICTY Referral Bench said that all conditions for referral had been met.
Skare Ozbolt recalled that under Rule 11 bis of the ICTY Rules of Procedure and Evidence the case could have been referred to a third country with a relevant agreement with the ICTY.
Asked when the trial would start, she said that Croatia expected the transfer of documents and evidence material, which she said would take some time.
The ICTY Referral Bench has given the prosecution 30 days to transfer the accompanying material to the Prosecutor of the Republic of Croatia.
Asked whether the trial would be held in Zagreb, the minister said the Supreme Court would decide which of the four county courts investigating war crimes and conducting such trials - in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Osijek - would conduct the trial.
A joint indictment issued on May 27, 2004 charges Ademi and Norac in line with command and individual responsibility with five counts of crime against humanity and breaches of the law and customs of war committed against Serb civilians and soldiers captured in the September 1993 Croatian army operation "Medak Pocket".
They are charged with persecution based on political, religious or racial grounds, killings, wanton destruction of villages and plunder of public and private property.
At the time of the operation, from 9 to 17 September 1993, Ademi was commander of the Gospic Military District, while Norac commanded the Croatian Army 9th Motorised Brigade, which was the main force in the operation, one of the first Croatian Army liberation operations during the war.
In February 2002 Ademi was released pending trial, while Norac has been serving his 12-year prison sentence for 1991 war crimes against Serb civilians from Gospic in the Croatian town of Glina.