RIJEKA, Aug 13 (Hina) - Assistant Interior Minister in 1991, Smiljan Reljic, who on Tuesday took the witness stand at the trial of the so-called Gospic Group, said he had advocated back in 1991 that the war crimes committed in Gospic
be processed and that the then president, Franjo Tudjman, also supported this attitude.
RIJEKA, Aug 13 (Hina) - Assistant Interior Minister in 1991,
Smiljan Reljic, who on Tuesday took the witness stand at the trial
of the so-called Gospic Group, said he had advocated back in 1991
that the war crimes committed in Gospic be processed and that the
then president, Franjo Tudjman, also supported this attitude. #L#
Speaking about a conversation with the then chief-of-police in
Gospic, Ivan Dasovic, in November 1991, Reljic said that Dasovic
had told him about the killing in Pazariste stating that Tihomir
Oreskovic had said at a meeting prior to that event, that everyone
needed to be involved as a test of their loyalty to the Croatian
state and that this was a decision made by the Croatian Government.
Dasovic told Reljic about the murder of three civilians from
Karlobag on Mt. Velebit.
During the trial at the Rijeka County Court, the witness added that
he reported all this to the then President Tudjman who, according to
Reljic, concluded a month later that Oreskovic should be detained
because he was an agent of some foreign intelligence agency.
After Oreskovic had been taken into custody in Zagreb, Josip
Perkovic, the then chief of the secret service decided that as a
military officer Oreskovic should be taken before a military court,
Reljic said.
He stated that the Interior Ministry had contradictory information
about Oreskovic from the fact that he was an extremist fighter for
Croatia to that that he was an agent with the aim of discrediting
Croatia.
Oreskovic asked Reljic why the town of Drnis had fallen without any
struggle where Reljic was the chief of the crisis centre at the
time.
Reljic replied that this would not have occurred if Oreskovic, who
was in charge of weapons warehouses, had had more feeling and lower
prices. He stated that prior to the fall of Drnis that he had asked
Oreskovic for arms and ammunition on the phone but that Oreskovic
did not wish to help him and that he mentioned some prices for the
weapons.
Oreskovic reacted strongly and jumped from his bench towards Reljic
swearing and claiming that Reljic was lying. The judiciary police
returned him to the bench.
The trial will continue on Wednesday when a key witness is to take
the stand, the then president of the crisis centre for Lika, Ante
Karic.
(hina) sp ms