WITNESS SPEAKS ABOUT TUDJMAN AT 'GOSPIC GROUP' TRIAL

RIJEKA, Aug 30 (Hina) - At the trial against the "Gospic Group" before the Rijeka County Court, a witness, Miro Laco -- a member of the 1118th command of the Gospic Brigade in 1991 -- stated that the late president Franjo Tudjman was "visibly upset" during his visit to Gospic in 1991. #L# Laco said that the then president did not at the time say what had happened nor did he mention liquidation, but "read between the lines it was obvious what had occurred". Laco said that he found out about the liquidation of civilians in Gospic only later from the media. Laco, who arrived in Gospic from Zagreb together with the indicted Mirko Norac, was a member of the Special Police unit. He said that in early 1992, the then interior minister, Ivan Vekic, and his assistant responsible for the Special Police, Mladen Markac, said that, based on a political decision, the command of the 118th brigade would be dismissed because of their command responsibility for the murder of Serb civilians. Laco said that later he had been to Gospic when General Petar Stipetic arrived with an order by president Tudjman to dismiss Mirko Norac as the commander of the 118th brigade. Laco said that Stipetic had been deployed from Zagreb accompanied by an entire unit which was supposed to implement the replacement, however, he arrived in Gospic without that unit. The command of the 188th brigade, including Mirko Norac, Branko Skara, Miro Laco and Milan Canic, notified Stipetic that the order to replace them could not be executed because Gospic would then fall into the hands of the enemy, the witness said. The trial will continue on Monday when testimonies will be heard from the presidents of crisis headquarters for Lika and Gospic in 1991, Ante Karic and Drazen Jurkovic. (hina) sp lml sb