ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Jan 31 (Hina) - A UN official Charles Kirudja, who was the UN co-ordinator for civilian affairs in Sector North in Croatia in 1992 according to the Vance plan, on Friday took the witness stand at the trial of former
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the Hague-based war crimes tribunal. The witness, who was appointed to this post in April 1992 and who had his office in the town of Topusko, explained to the ICTY trial chamber the basic propositions of the Vance plan and the role and position of the UN protected areas in Croatia at the time -- the so-called UNPAs - as well as the duties of UN peacekeepers (UNPROFOR). The witness said the Vance plan envisaged that only local police units, armed with light weapons and controlled by UN civilian police officers, could operate in those zones, while the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) should have retreated. Following the formal withdrawal of the JNA, w
ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Jan 31 (Hina) - A UN official Charles Kirudja, who
was the UN co-ordinator for civilian affairs in Sector North in
Croatia in 1992 according to the Vance plan, on Friday took the
witness stand at the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic before the Hague-based war crimes tribunal.
The witness, who was appointed to this post in April 1992 and who had
his office in the town of Topusko, explained to the ICTY trial
chamber the basic propositions of the Vance plan and the role and
position of the UN protected areas in Croatia at the time -- the so-
called UNPAs - as well as the duties of UN peacekeepers (UNPROFOR).
The witness said the Vance plan envisaged that only local police
units, armed with light weapons and controlled by UN civilian
police officers, could operate in those zones, while the Yugoslav
People's Army (JNA) should have retreated.
Following the formal withdrawal of the JNA, which was to complete
until the end of May 1992, nothing really changed on the ground, the
witness told the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY).
He described a meeting held in April 1992 when the then commander of
the 10th corps of the JNA, General Ninkovic, explained to his aides
that a majority of forces would formally leave the area, but that
they should actually change their uniforms with JNA labels with TO
(Territorial Defence) uniforms of local Serbs. Ninkovic also said
that officers who were born in areas of "the Republic of Serb
Krajina (RSK) and Bosnia-Herzegovina" would stay (in UNPA zones).
From notes in his diary, Kirudja compiled a list of JNA units that
should remain in North Sector after demobilisation, and his list
has been presented to the ICTY trial chamber as evidence.
The JNA forces, which remained in the Croatian areas -- Kordun,
Banovina an Lika -- began to call themselves as the Army of the RSK,
Kirudja added.
Soldiers changed their olive-green uniforms for blue clothes which
police wore, and so the number of police officers grew out of
proportion, the witness said, speaking how the provisions of the
Vance plan were not respected.
Armoured personnel carriers and other armoured vehicles were only
painted over with blue colour and declared to be police vehicles, he
added.
Given that the police were not allowed to possess heavy arms, the UN
managed, by late August 1992, to store weapons at depots which UN
members controlled together with Serbs.
In January 1993, however, following a military operation in which
Croatian units liberated the Maslenica area, Serbs took the weapons
from the warehouses and used them, regardless of the fact that it
was contrary to the Vance plan, said Kirudja, who will continue
testifying on Monday.
(hina) ms sb