ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - Commenting on a statement by the chief prosecutor of the U.N. criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) about possible new indictments against Croatian citizens, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on
Thursday he was aware, as was the domestic public, that there was a possibility that indictments might be issued against some Croatian citizens.
ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - Commenting on a statement by the chief
prosecutor of the U.N. criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) about possible new indictments against Croatian citizens,
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on Thursday he was aware, as
was the domestic public, that there was a possibility that
indictments might be issued against some Croatian citizens. #L#
"I can't say whether or when they will be issued. You know as much as
I do," Mesic said while visiting an Easter humanitarian fair in
downtown Zagreb.
Asked to comment on the fact that Del Ponte placed Croatian General
Ante Gotovina and Bosnian Serb leaders Ratko Mladic and Radovan
Karadzic in the same category (ICTY indictees), Mesic said he
believed Del Ponte did not "place them on the same level, but only
stated the tribunal's requests".
"Whether and to what extent someone is guilty is to be decided by the
tribunal. That is not equalising but a procedure which must be
completed," he said.
He reiterated that General Gotovina would help himself, Croatia and
the Croatian army the most by responding to the tribunal's
inquiries.
The president would not comment on the suspension of Zagreb County
Prosecutor Krunoslav Canjuga, saying he did not have enough
information about the facts which prompted the chief state
prosecutor to replace Canjuga.
Commenting on a joint press conference by the State Prosecution and
the Interior Ministry, which was slammed by the opposition, and
statements about a more decisive clamp-down on corruption, Mesic
said the opposition had the right to disagree with it. The police
and state prosecution need to cooperate because they have the same
goal - the discovery of criminal acts and their perpetrators, Mesic
said.
Asked about proposals for setting up a team of experts who should
help facilitate Croatia's entry into the European Union, the
president said it was evident that such a task should be entrusted
to experts.
"A large number of questions should be answered and areas where we
are not close to European standards require measures which would
speed up their adoption", Mesic said.
(hina) rml