THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - Retired Yugoslav People's Army General Pavle Strugar, charged with war crimes committed in Dubrovnik in 1991, and Serbia-Montenegro authorities have broken an order by the Hague tribunal under which he
was to return to the Netherlands by Dec. 2 so that his trial could start on the ninth, the U.N. tribunal said on Wednesday.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - Retired Yugoslav People's Army
General Pavle Strugar, charged with war crimes committed in
Dubrovnik in 1991, and Serbia-Montenegro authorities have broken
an order by the Hague tribunal under which he was to return to the
Netherlands by Dec. 2 so that his trial could start on the ninth, the
U.N. tribunal said on Wednesday. #L#
The trial chamber ordered Strugar to be in The Hague by Dec. 2,
noting that a 24-hour delay owing to personal problems would not be
viewed as a violation of the decision on release pending trial.
Tribunal spokesman Jim Landale said that given that Strugar had not
arrived today, he and Serbia-Montenegro's authorities had
technically broken the trial chamber's order.
Landale said that a pre-trial judge had issued a new order under
which Strugar must return to The Hague by Dec. 5.
The same order binds Serbia-Montenegro's authorities to fulfil the
guarantees they gave in their request for Strugar's temporary
release, and says that Strugar must be provided with medical escort
on the trip to The Hague, said Landale.
He added the start of the trial, Dec. 9, remained unchanged.
Strugar's lawyers recently asked the Hague tribunal to postpone the
start of proceedings due to the illness of the defendant, who has
been hospitalised in Podgorica, but the trial chamber repeated he
must return as previously ordered.
Strugar voluntarily surrendered to the Hague tribunal on 25 October
2001. He is charged with the shelling of the southern Adriatic
resort of Dubrovnik in the autumn and winter of 1991, which
qualifies as violation of the laws and customs of war.
(hina) ha sb