ZAGREB, June 17 (Hina) - In an exclusive interview for Wednesday's issue of the "Jutarnji list" daily, the chief prosecutor of The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, dismissed
the possibility of changing the status of Croatian General Ante Gotovina. She stressed Gotovina had to surrender to the tribunal and enter his plea.
ZAGREB, June 17 (Hina) - In an exclusive interview for Wednesday's
issue of the "Jutarnji list" daily, the chief prosecutor of The
Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia
(ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, dismissed the possibility of changing the
status of Croatian General Ante Gotovina. She stressed Gotovina had
to surrender to the tribunal and enter his plea. #L#
The tribunal will uphold the law and the law does not allow for a
change of Mr. Gotovina's status, Del Ponte said in response to a
letter from Croatian President Stjepan Mesic in which he suggested
Gotovina's status be changed.
The chief prosecutor also dismissed the possibility of the
tribunal's investigators speaking with Gotovina at this time.
According to the interview, Gotovina only has one option, which is
to go to The Hague. He can surrender or be arrested. After his
arraignment, the investigators will listen to what he has to say,
Del Ponte said.
Del Ponte said the recent interview Gotovina gave to the "Nacional"
weekly confirmed her information that the general was in Croatia.
She expressed surprise that the Croatian public had not reacted to
the fact that this was the second interview given in two years by a
fugitive who was not being arrested.
She did agree that it was positive in Gotovina's interview that he
recognised the tribunal, but added it was necessary that he go to
The Hague and thus confirm that he truly recognised it.
The chief prosecutor refuted Gotovina's claim that he had not been
allowed to speak with ICTY investigators in 1998 in the status of a
suspect. She stressed he had been offered to talk, without the
involvement of the government, through various mediators, but he
had refused it.
Del Ponte believes that President Stjepan Mesic's letter to her
regarding Gotovina was not a good reaction. She added she had sent a
reply, which Mesic might make public if he wanted. The chief message
of the letter is that it is in the interest of the accused and of
justice to bring back the case from the public and political domain
into the area of legal procedure, Del Ponte said.
(hina) lml