ZAGREB COUNTY PROSECUTION INDICTS MARTIC, CELEKETIC

ZAGREB, Dec 28 (Hina) - The Zagreb County Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday issued indictments against a former leader of Croatian Serb rebels, Milan Martic, and a former commander of the self-styled Republika Srpska Krajina (RSK), Milan Celeketic, for the shelling of Zagreb, Karlovac and Jastrebarsko in May 1995. #L# The decision to issue the indictment was made after the prosecution of the U.N. war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia in The Hague, which indicted Martic for the shelling of Zagreb, made it known that it would not indict Celeketic and that its indictment against Martic did not refer to the shelling of Karlovac and Jatrebarsko, Zagreb County Prosecutor Krunoslav Canjuga told reporters today. Canjuga said that the indictment, which has been forwarded to the Zagreb County Court, did not bring into question the tribunal's indictment, nor its precedence over domestic courts in prosecuting war crimes. Should the U.N. tribunal decide to take over the file, we are ready to hand it over, Canjuga said, adding he hoped that at least Celeketic would be tried in Croatia. The Chief State Prosecutor's Office expects Celeketic to be arrested and has issued an instruction under which trials for war crimes, to which the statute of limitations does not apply, are not to be initiated if the defendant is not present, Canjuga said. Martic and Celeketic are charged with war crimes against civilians, which constitute crime against humanity and international law. Seven people were killed and a number were wounded in the shelling of Zagreb with "Orkan" missiles on May 2 and 3, 1995. According to the indictment, Martic ordered and Celeketic carried out the attacks. The shelling caused considerable damage to vehicles and buildings in downtown Zagreb, including to the Croatian National Theatre and the Drama Academy. The indictment also refers to the shelling of Karlovac on May 1 and 2 and Jastrebarsko on May 3. It was only by chance that the attacks on the two towns did not cause any casualties, it is noted in the indictment. (hina) rml