ZAGREB, July 18 (Hina) - The decision of retired general Mirko Norac to agree to an interview with investigators from the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal is "positive and in his interest", the head of the Croatian government's
office for cooperation with the tribunal, Frane Krnic, told a news briefing on Friday.
ZAGREB, July 18 (Hina) - The decision of retired general Mirko Norac
to agree to an interview with investigators from the Hague-based UN
war crimes tribunal is "positive and in his interest", the head of
the Croatian government's office for cooperation with the
tribunal, Frane Krnic, told a news briefing on Friday. #L#
Krnic said he had been informed about the general's decision by his
lawyer, Ivan Kern.
Krnic said that Norac must send a written reply at the request of the
tribunal, which his office was expecting on Monday.
The request by the tribunal to hear Norac as a suspect in the
operations Medak Pocket and Storm was served on Norac today in the
prison of the Rijeka County Court where he had been sentenced in
March to 12 years' imprisonment pending appeal for war crimes
against civilians in Gospic in 1991.
Tribunal investigators have proposed that the interview be
conducted on August 12, and if necessary also on August 13 and 14, at
the tribunal's office in Zagreb, but Norac's lawyers Kern and
Tomislav Sabljar think that the deadline is too short.
"The defence of General Norac has asked this office to intervene in
order to reschedule the interview from August 12 to the first days
of September. This is necessary for General Norac to prepare better
for the interview, particularly for the part relating to Operation
Storm," Krnic said.
Krnic said he had informed the tribunal's Zagreb office of this
today and would submit a written request on Monday.
According to Krnic, the latest request from the tribunal is "no
surprise" because the tribunal has clearly shown its interest in
Norac lately. The interview will be part of regular investigating
procedure after which the Office of the Prosecutor may issue an
indictment or abandon it, he added.
Asked about the lawyers' concern that it would be hard to obtain all
the necessary documents for defence because many staff in state and
military institutions were on holidays, Krnic said his office would
do everything it could to make it easier for the lawyers to prepare
themselves and would assist them in obtaining the necessary
documents.
Commenting on the possibility of the UN tribunal referring the case
to the Croatian justice system if an indictment is issued, Krnic
said "it is hard to predict, but there is a chance," adding that
"there have been talks with the tribunal to this effect both about
Norac and others."
He said that the trial of the so-called Gospic Group in Rijeka was
the best recommendation for the Croatian judiciary that it was able
to try war crimes.
Krnic described as speculation the latest articles in the press on
more indictments coming from The Hague. As long as there are
investigations, indictments should be expected, but not a
spectacular number of them, he said.
Asked about the part of the European Union membership questionnaire
relating to cooperation with the tribunal, Krnic said that there
were four points that would be completed by the middle of the next
week and that evidence would be presented to prove "the political
will and practical cooperation of Croatia with the tribunal."
(hina) vm