FIRST WAR CRIMES TRIALS IN BOSNIA TO BEGIN IN 2004?

SARAJEVO, July 2 (Hina) - All bodies of authority in Bosnia will begin undertaking urgent measures to have a special department at the State Court functioning as soon as possible. The department would deal only with war crimes and the first trials can be expected in 2004, Deputy High Representative to Bosnia, Matthias Sonn, said on Tuesday. #L# Following a meeting with the chairman of the three-man Bosnian Presidency, Beriz Belkic, the German diplomat said they fully agreed on adopting the suggested concept, and that would follow was the adoption of a new Bosnian penal law, the establishment of a national court, introduction of witness protection programmes and securing donor funds for the trials. The international war crimes tribunal in The Hague earlier announced the possibility that a part of the low profile cases be taken over by Bosnian courts. "According to some assessments, there are up to 7,000 people in Bosnia liable for war crimes," Belkic said and stressed that this was the reason for Bosnia to establish mechanisms for trying war criminals. International experts, mostly former judges and Hague tribunal prosecutors, have suggested that foreign citizens should take part in the work of Bosnian courts for the first five years, preparing Bosnian experts for independently conducting trials. The founding of a war crimes department at the Bosnian court would cost about EUR10 million, and its work with only one trial chamber, EUR2.6 million. The establishment and annual functioning of each new trial chamber would cost an additional EUR500,000. Bosnia does not have that kind of money, so Sonn announced that the necessary funds would be secured through foreign donations. If everything goes as planned, the first trials in line with Rome regulations could begin in 2004, Sonn said. (hina) lml sb