MINISTER CONFIRMS RECEIPT OF INDICTMENT AGAINST CERMAK, MARKAC

ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt has confirmed that a sealed indictment against generals Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac and an amended indictment against General Ante Gotovina arrived in Zagreb from The Hague some ten days ago.#L# The indictments arrived on March 1 and their content will be kept confidential until a competent judge of the UN war crimes tribunal decides that they can be made public, Minister Skare Ozbolt said at a news conference at the ministry on Monday. She said that Cermak and Markac would leave for The Hague by the end of this week. Skare Ozbolt voiced hope that the UN tribunal and its chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte would welcome the decision of the accused to appear voluntarily before the tribunal and that upon their initial appearance they would be granted release pending trial. She said the government would extend all legal, expert and other assistance to the accused, including the engagement of domestic and foreign legal experts as "amici curiae" (friends of the court). According to recent media speculation, Cermak and Markac are charged with crimes against humanity committed during and after the 1995 Operation Storm. At the time, Cermak was the civil administrator of Knin and Markac commanded special police forces. (Hina) rml