GOVERNMENT SAYS DEL PONTE'S REPLY WAS EXPECTED

ZAGREB, June 17 (Hina) - The Croatian government said on Tuesday night that the reply by the chief prosecutor of the U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague, Carla Del Ponte, to President Stjepan Mesic was "expected" and stressed that the case of General Ante Gotovina had to be solved by legal means, before the tribunal. #L# "The Croatian government considers Carla Del Ponte's reply expected and in line with the government's stand that the entire case of General Gotovina must be solved exclusively by legal means and that General Gotovina must approach the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) so the full legal procedure can begin," says a press release issued by the government's public relations office. "This process will provide the opportunity to shed light on the role of General Gotovina in the "Storm" operation based on documents collected in the past two years and on the results of the investigation and trial of Slobodan Milosevic and others for aggression on Croatia," the statement says, adding that "the government hopes this will encourage General Gotovina to appear before the tribunal as soon as possible". In a letter sent Tuesday to President Mesic, the chief prosecutor of the ICTY, Carla Del Ponte, refused the possibility of changing or withdrawing the indictment against General Gotovina. Del Ponte sent the letter in reply to a letter Mesic sent her on June 12, asking that she consider this possibility. (hina) lml