RIJEKA, Feb 25 (Hina) - The chief indictee in the trial of the so-called Gospic Group, Tihomir Oreskovic, on Tuesday continued presenting his defence at the Rijeka County Court. He said that during the Homeland War he had not seen a
single killed person in Gospic apart from officers of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in military barracks which had been taken over.
RIJEKA, Feb 25 (Hina) - The chief indictee in the trial of the so-
called Gospic Group, Tihomir Oreskovic, on Tuesday continued
presenting his defence at the Rijeka County Court. He said that
during the Homeland War he had not seen a single killed person in
Gospic apart from officers of the former Yugoslav People's Army
(JNA) in military barracks which had been taken over. #L#
"If there had been any plan to liquidate Serbs, the first ones to be
killed would have been those who directly fought against us," i.e.
captured members of the enemy army, said Oreskovic.
All prisoners were exchanged and they were treated correctly, he
added.
Oreskovic asserted that he had not issued any orders to Croatian
officers, soldiers or police in Gospic at the time, nor had he
conducted any meetings.
It took ten years to start these proceedings, after president
Tudjman and defence minister Susak died, because they "were well-
acquainted with the circumstances which this trial is about,"
Oreskovic said, adding that allegations that Tudjman and Susak had
been involved in events in Gospic were unfounded because the two had
in fact tried to settle the issue.
Speaking about claims that he had cooperated with intelligence
services, Oreskovic said "twenty years ago, I would have worked
with aliens to achieve freedom and democracy in Croatia".
Oreskovic, along with four other indictees, is charged with
organising and ordering the abduction and liquidation of some 40
civilians of mostly Serb nationality in the Gospic area in autumn
1991.
The trial resumes tomorrow.
(hina) lml