RIJEKA TRIAL OF GOSPIC GROUP RESUMES

RIJEKA, Oct 1 (Hina) - Mirko Norac, an indictee in the trial of so- called Gospic Group at the Rijeka County Court, said on Tuesday that the president of the panel of judges in the case, Ika Saric, was conducting the trial in an "unfair and unprofessional way". #L# Norac was reacting to a proposal by the County Prosecutor's Office that four more prosecution witnesses, whose testimonies Norac believes are irrelevant for the trial, be called to testify. He also stated that judge Saric accepted all claims by the county prosecution and was "a priori on their side". Judge Saric said Norac would have the opportunity to say everything he wants in his defence at the end of the trial. Today's hearing included testimonies by Mile Kordic and Mira Jurisic, who were called by indictee Stjepan Grandic. Mira Jurisic, a Serb, and Kordic, whose wife is a Serb, lived in Perusic during the war. They both said that they had not felt threatened, that they had felt well and that other Serbs from the region had not felt threatened either. Speaking about Grandic, who at the time was the commander of the Perusic battalion of the Croatian Army's 118th brigade, they said he had been fair and had helped them. They also said they had not known anything about the abductions or killings or civilians imprisoned at the Perusic barracks. Asked by indictee Tihomir Oreskovic's defence lawyers about their client, both witnesses said he had been fair and willing to help as well. The trial resumes on October 14. (hina) rml sb