MISETIC: U.S. CITIZENS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE REPRESENTING ICTY INDICTEES

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Hina) - The US Department of the Treasury has cancelled a disputable ban imposed on U.S. attorneys representing indictees of the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague (ICTY), attorney Luka Misetic said on Thursday. #L# Misetic told Hina the US Department of the Treasury had informed him that the ban had been lifted and that he and other U.S. attorneys could continue with the defence of ICTY indictees. In an order from May this year, U.S. President George Bush banned U.S. citizens from providing services to persons indicted by the ICTY. "The order was not originally intended to include legal counsel," Misetic said. The decision of the Department of the Treasury will be forwarded to the tribunal, which has already discontinued the trial in the "Brdjanin" case, in which the defence is represented by U.S. attorneys. No one was available for comment at the Department of the Treasury. Misetic, a U.S. citizen, represents Croatian general Ante Gotovina, indicted by the ICTY for war crimes committed in Operation "Storm". The order adopted by the U.S. president blocked the assets of 172 persons and organisations who the USA believe are obstructing stability in the Balkans, including all ICTY indictees. (hina) rml