SPOKESWOMAN: ICTY CONSIDERING LETTING CROATIA TRY GENERAL ADEMI

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, May 19 (Hina) - The Hague-based U.N. war crimes tribunal (ICTY) is considering a possibility of allowing the Croatian judiciary process some cases it is handling, including the trial of General Rahim Ademi. But no decision about the issue has been made yet, spokeswoman for the ICTY prosecution, Florance Hartmann, told Hina Monday. #L# Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte told the Helsinki commission of the United States' Congress on May 15 that the tribunal was planning to let Croatia handle some cases, including the case of a person who was indicted, arrested and temporarily released. Asked whether this statement pertained to General Ademi and whether the tribunal was considering letting the case go, Hartmann replied in the affirmative. Such a possibility is certainly being considered, but no decision has yet been made. One needs to see whether Croatia has conditions for this, she said. The tribunal has initiated a small part of the cases and expects Croatia to initiate cases itself and bring people who violated international humanitarian law in Croatia before justice, Hartmann said. Regarding a section of Del Ponte's speech about the prosecution's strategy of completing its job by 2004, according to which there would be remaining cases of 30 suspects, divided by ethnic origin -- Serbs, Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats, Bosniaks and Albanians -- Hartmann said Croatians were among them. The announced 30 indictments pertain to the entire ex-Yugoslavia, including Croats from Croatia, said the spokeswoman. Hartmann also recalled that the tribunal expected Croatian authorities to arrest General Ante Gotovina, who has been on the run since his indictment was issued two years ago. (hina) lml sb