THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, June 13 (Hina)- The prosecution for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague on Friday welcomed the arrest of former Yugoslav Peoples' Army (JNA) officer Veselin Sljivancanin,
accused of the massacre on Ovcara in 1991, and announced a joint trial for the "Vukovar three" - Sljivancanin, Mile Mrksic and Miroslav Radic, who were arrested before and are in jail at the ICTY.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, June 13 (Hina)- The prosecution for the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
in The Hague on Friday welcomed the arrest of former Yugoslav
Peoples' Army (JNA) officer Veselin Sljivancanin, accused of the
massacre on Ovcara in 1991, and announced a joint trial for the
"Vukovar three" - Sljivancanin, Mile Mrksic and Miroslav Radic, who
were arrested before and are in jail at the ICTY. #L#
The prosecution welcomes Sljivancanin's arrest and it was about
time it occurred because he was indicted eight years ago,
spokeswoman Florence Hartmann said, adding this arrest proved that
when there was a will, there was also a way for it to be
implemented.
The trial for the crime committed at Ovcara will be combined, she
said.
Sljivancanin, Mrksic and Radic were indicted in 1995 for crimes
against humanity, violations of laws and customs of war, and
serious violations of the Geneva Conventions committed with the
mass murder of at least 200 Croats who were abducted from Vukovar
hospital and taken to the Ovcara farm on November 20, 1991.
Radic and Mrksic in their first appearance before the court pleaded
not guilty to the charges.
Hartmann said she expected that after the success of the
Sljivancanin arrest, the Serbian police will show its efficiency
towards the remaining 18 Hague indictees who are still at large in
Serbia-Montenegro.
According to Hartmann, the prosecution had already passed on
information to Belgrade concerning the whereabouts of some of these
fugitives.
Reporters asked Hartmann if the Serbian police would continue to
show that level of efficiency only on the eve of deadlines for U.S.
financial assistance, which had been the case until now. She
replied that the Hague's prosecution had arrest warrants which
obliged any government to act accordingly. It is evident, however,
that without the support of the international community, which
encourages governments to fulfil their obligations, there are no
results, she said.
Asked to comment on Sljivancanin's arrest in light of a recent
statement by Serbian PM Zoran Zivkovic that before the year's end,
Serbia would fulfil its obligations towards the ICTY, Hartmann said
that evidently, everyone in Serbia had had enough and felt it was
time to turn a new leaf. The only way to avoid further demands from
The Hague is to arrest all indictees, she said.
(hina) sp ha