FEDERATION GOVERNMENT ISSUES GUARANTEES FOR FIVE BOSNIAN CROATS INDICTED BY ICTY

SARAJEVO, April 19 (Hina) - The government of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday decided to issue guarantees to five Bosnian Croats necessary for their provisional release pending trial before the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague.#L# The attorneys of the five former high ranking political and military officials of Herzeg-Bosna, whom the Hague-based war crimes tribunal indicted on command responsibility, have requested guarantees from Bosnia-Herzegovina's Presidency and the Federation government necessary for their provisional release. The statement issued by the government's public relations office said the decision on the guarantees for Jadranko Prlic, Bruno Stojic, Slobodan Praljak, Berislav Pusic and Valentin Coric was made. The permanent place of residence of the five Bosnian Croats, who have been indicted together with the former head of the Croatian Defence Council Main Staff, General Milivoj Petkovic, is the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. A condition for considering their request for provisional release from the Scheveningen detention is that the governments of Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina issue guarantees that the five men would be under the constant surveillance and that they would answer to the ICTY summons. (Hina) it