ZAGREB, June 20 (Hina) - US based attorney for Croatian General Ante Gotovina on Thursday commented that he did not know how the spokeswoman for the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, Florence Hartman, could say that Gotovina was in
Croatia.
ZAGREB, June 20 (Hina) - US based attorney for Croatian General Ante
Gotovina on Thursday commented that he did not know how the
spokeswoman for the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, Florence
Hartman, could say that Gotovina was in Croatia. #L#
"Evidently there is a conflict between the Croatian Government and
the Hague prosecution because the Government claimed that Gotovina
was not in Croatia," Gotovina's attorney, Luka Misetic, told Hina.
Hartmann said in Sarajevo on Thursday the Hague prosecution
believed that General Ante Gotovina was still in Croatia and the
Croatian government had to undertake measures to have him
arrested.
The prosecution is in constant contact with the Croatian government
so that Gotovina can be arrested, Hartman said at a press conference
during an official visit by the tribunal's president, Claude Jorda,
and chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Hague tribunal has charged the Croatian general with crimes
against humanity and violations of the law of war committed during
the 1995 "Storm" military operation and after it. The charges
include the then Croatian leadership for planning ethnic cleansing
of the Serb population from occupied regions of Croatia.
"I am not surprised that the prosecution wishes to continue with
unfounded theories of ethnic cleansing," Misetic said, adding that
according to reliable sources, the tribunal's prosecution has been
considering initiating an investigation against former US
president, Bill Clinton and his associate Richard Holbrooke for
possible responsibility in the line of command for the "Storm"
operation.
Asked by journalists if he knew where General Gotovina was, Misetic
said that he did not.
(hina) sp sb