CERMAK, MARKAC TO GO ON TRIAL ONLY WHEN GOTOVONA APPEARS?

THE HAGUE, March 12 (Hina) - Retired Croatian generals Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac will most likely not be put on trial before General Ante Gotovina appears before the U.N. war crimes tribunal, Cermak's attorney Cedo Prodanovic said in The Hague on Friday.#L# "The beginning and duration of the trial will depend significantly on General Gotovina's appearance, i.e. his absence from proceedings. I am almost certain that they have to be tried together, regardless of the fact that the indictments are separate. We have one event and identical evidence," said Prodanovic. In their first appearance before the tribunal today, Cermak and Markac pleaded not guilty to all seven counts accusing them of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war during and after the 1995 Operation Storm. Markac's attorney Goran Mikulicic said it was "assumed the trial will be quite lengthy. There are no indications at present when it might begin". The two attorneys said they submitted a request to the tribunal's Registry for the provisional release of their clients pending trial, supplying guarantees from the Croatian government. Earlier today they visited Cermak and Markac at Scheveningen detention centre. The two generals had no complaints about the conditions and personnel at the centre, and said health care was very well organised. Cermak and Markac were placed on two different floors, which was due to current accommodation possibilities, the attorneys said. The head of the detention centre promised the attorneys he would try to arrange next week to have the two generals accommodated on the same floor to facilitate communication. Cermak is on the same floor as Tihomir Blaskic, Mladen Naletilic, and former Yugoslav Army General Pavle Strugar, while Markac's neighbours are Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic, former top officials in Serbia's state security, the attorneys said. (Hina) ha sb