ZAGREB, Dec 30 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt said on Tuesday consultations were under way in the government as to whether the team representing General Ante Gotovina would be given documents the former
government sent to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
ZAGREB, Dec 30 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt
said on Tuesday consultations were under way in the government as to
whether the team representing General Ante Gotovina would be given
documents the former government sent to the UN war crimes tribunal in
The Hague.#L#
"Consultations are still under way," Skare Ozbolt said at a New Year's
reception given today by President Stjepan Mesic.
The information about the consultations was confirmed by Foreign
Minister Miomir Zuzul and Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.
Zuzul said that all relevant institutions and experts, both in and
outside the government, were involved in the consultations.
One of Gotovina's attorneys, Ante Vukorepa, said he expected the
government and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to act in line with the
court ruling binding the government to give Gotovina's attorneys the
requested documents.
Sanader has shown that he abides by the law and it is expected he will
act in line with the court ruling, Vukorepa said.
He recalled that proceedings regarding Gotovina's transfer to the UN
war crimes tribunal in The Hague were conducted by the Zagreb County
Court, which he said should be left to make all relevant decisions.
Vukorepa does not expect any problems between Zagreb and The Hague if
the court ruling is acted on.
Legal experts are still divided over this case.
One of the legal advisors of the former government claims the transfer
of the documents to Gotovina's attorneys would be contrary to the UN
tribunal's rules of procedure and evidence.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the expert said the documents
could be handed over only if Gotovina's attorneys were registered with
the UN war crimes tribunal. Since Gotovina is on the run and has not
appeared before the tribunal, his attorneys are denied the right to
represent him before the tribunal.
On the other hand, a legal expert consulted by the new government says
the government must carry out the court ruling and that proceedings
before the Croatian court and the UN tribunal are separate, as well as
that Gotovina has authorised attorneys representing him before
Croatian courts.
The government must respect the court ruling as any other legal or
physical person, the expert says.
The Zagreb Municipal Court on December 18 passed a ruling ordering the
government to give Gotovina's attorneys, within eight days, documents
previously submitted to the UN tribunal. The government was given
eight working days to appeal the ruling.
The government should decide about the hand over of the documents
until Friday, January 2.
Under the court ruling, the government should give Gotovina's
attorneys 77 documents that were submitted to the UN tribunal in
September 1995 and some other documents submitted in February 2003.
(Hina) rml