ICTY, PROSECUTION DECLINE TO COMMENT ON BOBETKO'S INDICTMENT

ZAGREB, Sept 19 (hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the ICTY Prosecutor's Office on Thursday declined to comment on whether an indictment had been issued against Croatian Army General Janko Bobetko. #L# In an telephone interview, the spokesman for the U.N. tribunal, Jim Landale, said he did not know about a public indictment and declined to comment on anything else. "No comment", said spokesman for the ICTY Prosecution Florence Hartmann, declining to comment on the ICTY request to interview Bobetko. The Croatian government said earlier today that on Wednesday afternoon it received an ICTY request for the government's assistance in organising an interview with General in his capacity as indictee. The news that the Hague-based international war crimes tribunal has issued an indictment against Croatia's general Janko Bobetko and that a request for his extradition would arrive next week are media speculation, the spokeswoman for the tribunal, Florance Hartmann, said on Tuesday. This is media speculation which the tribunal does not comment. At this time there are no new indictments with regards to Croatia, Hartmann told Hina over the telephone. Citing a source close to the Croatian government, Croatia's weekly "Nacional" writes in its recent issue that "The Hague indictment against General Janko Bobetko was signed, and the government informed about it". It also says that along with the indictment, the government will be receiving a request for his extradition to the Hague. The ICTY Chief Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte told Croatia's daily "Jutarnji List" this week that the ICTY Prosecution did not speak publicly about its investigations and plans to issue indictments. She also said that the news that the ICTY had issued an indictment against Bobetko was media speculation. (hina) it