TRIBUNAL CHIEF PROSECUTOR SATISFIED WITH CROATIA'S COOPERATION - MINISTER

THE HAGUE, April 1 (Hina) - The Chief Prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Carla del Ponte, has said that cooperation with Croatia is very good, Croatian Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt said on Thursday after meeting the chief prosecutor in The Hague.#L# "The prosecutor has said that cooperation with Croatia is extremely good. She is satisfied with the cooperation," Skare Ozbolt said after an hour and a half of talks with Del Ponte. The two also spent some time talking in private. "We have been told that at the moment Croatia is setting an example in the region and is cooperating the best," the Croatian minister said, adding that she was pleased with the meeting. "I think it was very good," she said. The main topics discussed were a request for the provisional release of Croatian army generals Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, the arrival of five newly-indicted Bosnian Croat officials in The Hague on Monday, the transfer of cases to Croatian courts, a government report on the case of fugitive general Ante Gotovina and a report by Del Ponte to the European Union on Croatia's cooperation. "The chief prosecutor said that she would decide when and where she would report on Croatia's cooperation. Her opinion before this delegation was very positive," Skare Ozbolt said. Del Ponte declined to speak to reporters after the meeting. She did not say whether or not she would support the request filed by defence counsel for the provisional release of Cermak and Markac. She is likely to insist on talks between the prosecution and the accused before the latter's possible release. "Things are going well in principle, but a final decision will be rendered by the Trial Chamber," Skare Ozbolt said. The meeting also involved Croatian Public Prosecutor Mladen Bajic, Assistant Justice Minister for Cooperation with the tribunal Jaksa Muljacic and Ambassador to the Netherlands Frane Krnjic. As for the Gotovina case, the chief prosecutor requested more information, and the Croatian justice minister announced that additional reports would be sent to the tribunal about steps that had been taken in order to track down and apprehend the fugitive general. The meeting with Del Ponte and earlier talks with Tribunal Registrar Hans Holthius also focused on the training of Croatian judges and lawyers for the transfer of war crimes trials from the tribunal to Croatian courts. Skare Ozbolt said that first training seminars would be held in May in the presence of representatives of the tribunal and the office of the prosecutor. (Hina) vm sb