MILOSEVIC TRIAL: ART HISTORIAN ABOUT WAR DAMAGE DONE TO DUBROVNIK

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 13 (Hina) - Almost 60 percent of buildings in the historical centre of Dubrovnik were damaged during the shelling launched by the then JNA against this Croatian seaside resort in 1991 and 1992, said an art historian who is a prosecution witness at the trial of Slobodan Milosevic at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. #L# The witness, Zana Baca, the head of the Dubrovnik conservation institute, presented written reports on the extent of the damage done to old historical buildings in downtown Dubrovnik, which were complied in cooperation with the UNESCO. Of a total 824 historical buildings in the centre, 463 were damaged with 55 percent of building walls damaged and 70 percent of roofs. She also spoke about damage done to listed monuments outside downtown Dubrovnik, including Renaissance summer residences around the city and a university library that burnt to ashes. A report by UNESCO observers on the shelling of Dubrovnik in 1991 and 1992 was presented as a piece of evidence. The document also mentioned costs of restoring the demolished monuments. At the end of the main part of the testimony of this witness, a video tape was shown in the courtroom about the gravest shelling of this Adriatic resort on December 6, 1991, and the witness gave explanations for the shown buildings. The bombardment of Dubrovnik is one of specifically cited war crimes in the Croatian section of the Milosevic indictment. While cross-examining Ms. Buca, the former Yugoslav and Serbian president, who is defending himself at the trial, tried to dent her credibility and diminish the value of her testimony, by claiming that she was a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and by claims that Croatians made preparations for the conflict with the JNA. The witness, however, showed that she knew in detail all about the damaged building what was relevant for the trial. (hina) ms sb