ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - The Croatian government's office for cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague on Monday received an indictment against retired Gen. Janko Bobetko, with enclosed a warrant for his arrest and
surrender, the government said in a statement.
ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - The Croatian government's office for
cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague on Monday
received an indictment against retired Gen. Janko Bobetko, with
enclosed a warrant for his arrest and surrender, the government
said in a statement. #L#
The UN tribunal on Friday evening said that an indictment against
the 83-year-old Bobetko had been unsealed and that it charged him
with war crimes committed in the Medak pocket in September 1993.
The Croatian government that day returned an arrest warrant for
Bobetko to The Hague with the explanation that it requested that
Bobetko be arrested by the tribunal's prosecution and not by the
government. A new warrant, delivered to the media later last
Friday, was forwarded to the Croatian government.
Prosecution spokeswoman Florence Hartmann said last Friday the
tribunal expected the Croatian authorities to act on the warrant in
the shortest time possible.
The Hague tribunal's rules stipulate that the arrest has to be
carried out in a reasonable period of time, while the procedure of
acting on an arrest warrant from the tribunal as stipulated by
Croatian legislation does not determine deadlines.
Deputy PM Goran Granic said on Friday evening the Bobetko
indictment clashed with the Croatian Constitution as it charged the
general with the persecution of Serbs, which Granic said was
unacceptable as the operation in question had been legitimate and
aimed at protecting the constitutional order.
Hartmann said that not one government or state could contest an
indictment with their stance.
An indictment can be contested only in court proceedings before the
international tribunal, said Hartmann.
(hina) ha