PM: BOBETKO LEAVING HOSPITAL IS ISSUE OF DOCTORS' TEAM AND FAMILY

ZAGREB, April 24 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said Thursday that retired general Janko Bobetko leaving the hospital was more of an issue of the general's team of doctors, the general himself and his family than of political judgements. #L# At Bobetko's request and that of his family, he was discharged from the hospital and went home, and the right of Bobetko and his family to do so cannot be taken away from them, Racan told reporters. He stressed it was with concern that he received a report from Bobetko's doctors' team that the general's condition had deteriorated. One of Bobetko's attorneys, Petar Sale, told reporters over the telephone that Bobetko's leaving the hospital was a family decision. Nobody can interfere with such a decision, not even attorneys, said Sale, stressing that Bobetko's attorneys were not informed about the decision. Sale believes that the attitude of the Hague-based war crimes tribunal towards the decision changed nothing. He said that Bobetko's whereabouts were not important for the tribunal, but rather his state of health. His health is worse than it was, he said, adding that this would be confirmed by a doctors' report, which is regularly sent to The Hague from Zagreb. (hina) lml sb