PODGORICA GIVES DEL PONTE GUARANTEES TO EXTRADITE FUGITIVES

PODGORICA, Feb 18 (Hina) - The chief prosecutor of the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, said in Podgorica on Tuesday that she had spoken with Montenegrin officials about fugitives who, according to information available to the tribunal, were visiting Montenegro from time to time. She added that she had received assurances that they would be extradited. #L# The tribunal has information that some of the tribunal's indictees resided in Montenegro, Del Ponte told journalists after talks with Premier Milo Djukanovic. She added that she had informed Montenegrin officials about that. According to Del Ponte, Djukanovic had provided her with firm guarantees that all fugitives and indictees, should they enter Montenegro, would be arrested and extradited to The Hague. Asked whether a former Montenegrin President, Momir Bulatovic, or somebody else in the local civil and military leadership would be indicted by the end of next year when the investigative proceedings should be concluded, Del Ponte said she would not mention any names this time, but added that they would not have to wait the end of next year for this. She reiterated that the Bosnian Serb war-time commander Ratko Mladic, indicted for war crimes, was currently in Serbia as, she said, all clues pointed to this conclusion. Nobody in Belgrade denied this, she added. (hina) lml sb