THE HAGUE, April 3 (Hina) - A witness in the war crimes trial against Bosnian Croat Mladen Naletilic aka Tuta at the Hague-based UN tribunal said at the end of his Wednesday's testimony he never saw the defendant take part in military
operations in the function of commander.
THE HAGUE, April 3 (Hina) - A witness in the war crimes trial against
Bosnian Croat Mladen Naletilic aka Tuta at the Hague-based UN
tribunal said at the end of his Wednesday's testimony he never saw
the defendant take part in military operations in the function of
commander. #L#
"I didn't see him command, or plan or execute any military
operations," said Gen. Slobodan Praljak, a former commander of
Bosnia's Croat Defence Council (HVO).
The prosecution charges Naletilic with crimes committed against
civilians and prisoners in the Mostar area in 1993, when he
commanded the Convicts Battalion.
Praljak said he was appointed HVO commander on July 27, 1993, when
the war with Muslim troops had already begun and the situation for
the HVO on the ground was bad.
The witness said the only time he saw Naletilic involved in a
military operation was in May 1992 during the liberation of
Orlovac, a hill near Mostar.
Due to the extensive material, Praljak could not confirm the
authenticity of transcripts of meetings held at the Zagreb office
of former Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. The transcripts were
produced by defence attorney Kresimir Krsnik. He said he would
leave the material to the prosecution, which will cross-examine
Praljak tomorrow.
With the transcripts the prosecution is trying to prove the
conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina had been an international one in
which Croatia was involved.
Testifying about the admission of foreign soldiers into the Army of
BH, Praljak said intelligence estimated the Mujahedin numbered
around 5,000.
(hina) ha sb