GRANIC: IT WOULD BE BEST FOR GOTOVINA TO PROVE TRUTH BEFORE ICTY

ZAGREB, June 10 (Hina) - Commenting on an interview runaway general Ante Gotovina gave to the "Nacional" weekly, the head of the Croatian government's council for cooperation with the Hague-based U.N. war crimes tribunal (ICTY) said it would be best for Gotovina to surrender and prove his story about his role in the war before the Hague tribunal. #L# The government will help Gotovina with documents and actively participate in his defence, Goran Granic said, adding that anything else would only aggravate both Gotovina's and Croatia's position. After Gotovina's interview, the government expects a strong response from the Hague-based tribunal, i.e. its chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, said a senior government official who wished to remain anonymous. He added that the government had not yet received any official reaction either from the ICTY's office in Zagreb or the tribunal itself. The government will find itself in an unfavourable position after the interview, the official believes. The source believes it would be best for Gotovina to surrender of his own accord rather than be arrested by the police or the Stabilisation Force. An independent decision includes some benefits, the official said. Government officials say the most naive part of Gotovina's interview is his request to be given back the status of a suspect. Commenting on the interview itself, the government official said it was estimated on the basis of intelligence data that the interview had been made abroad, but he could not say where. He also could not explain why Gotovina had chosen Nacional for the interview. The government accepts the statement by one of Gotovina's attorneys that the interview is authentic. (hina) rml sb