ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Saturday refuted Croatian True Revival (HIP) party leader Miroslav Tudjman's claims that the Hague war crimes tribunal had sentenced Bosnian Croat General Tihomir Blaskic to
45 years in jail on the basis of Mesic's testimony.
ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on
Saturday refuted Croatian True Revival (HIP) party leader Miroslav
Tudjman's claims that the Hague war crimes tribunal had sentenced
Bosnian Croat General Tihomir Blaskic to 45 years in jail on the
basis of Mesic's testimony. #L#
Tudjman yesterday refuted Blaskic's counsel Anto Nobilo's
allegations that former President Franjo Tudjman's administration
had concealed documents of key importance for Blaskic's defence. He
said the former authorities had not withheld any piece of evidence
on Blaskic's innocence, and that they had hired top lawyers,
including Nobilo, to defend Blaskic.
Tudjman went on to say that Nobilo was wrong to claim Blaskic's
defence team had not had access to documents of the then Croatian
Intelligence Service (HIS).
Tudjman also said that Mesic had been one of the key prosecution
witnesses in the Blaskic trial, and that it had been Mesic's
testimony and that of Paddy Ashdown on Croatia's aggression against
Bosnia-Herzegovina that had led to the Hague tribunal sentencing
Blaskic to 45 years' imprisonment.
In today's comment, Mesic said that in The Hague he had testified
that a formal decision to send Croatian troops (HV) to Bosnia-
Herzegovina had never been adopted in Croatia.
Sending Croatian troops outside the country would have required a
public decision by the president of the republic and parliament,
Mesic said, adding that at the time in question, when he was
president of parliament, no such decision was made.
"Our troops could not cross the border, and if groups or individuals
did, the judiciary has to establish who organised it and who was
responsible for that," he told reporters.
Mesic was also asked for a comment on Tudjman's claim that
intelligence reports, including those of HIS, which were compiled
by experts, were not admitted as criminal evidence in any one court,
the Hague tribunal included.
"This office (of the President) has helped find certain files,
which will be evaluated by courts and not by me or the know-it-all
Tudjman," said Mesic.
He added he had told the Hague tribunal that he knew nothing about
Blaskic's war years or life.
(hina) ha sb