TUDJMAN SPEAKS ON DOCUMENTS FOR BLASKIC'S DEFENCE AT ICTY

ZAGREB, Nov 8 (Hina) - Croatian True Revival (HIP) President and former head of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), Miroslav Tudjman, on Friday refuted allegations of lawyer Anto Nobilo, who asserted that the HIS withheld documents he needed for the defence of his client Tihomir Blaskic, who was sentenced by the UN war crimes tribunal to a 45-year imprisonment (at the first instance). #L# Tudjman claims that as soon as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) issued an indictment against Blaskic, a Bosnian Croat, the HIS gave to Nobilo all documentation at its disposal which might be useful for Blaskic's defence. According to Tudjman, the case of Tihomir Blaskic is now being exploited for showdowns on the Croatian political scene. Nobilo is engaged in politicking to excuse the bad defence strategy he used for his client, who, although innocent, received one of the most severe sentence - 45 years in prison, said Tudjman. Nobilo says the documents which he previously asked were later given to him by the incumbent Croatian President, Stjepan Mesic. On other hand, Tudjman asserts that Mesic testified against Blaskic by claiming that an international conflict had taken place in Bosnia, which, Tudjman believes, enabled the trial chamber to make such a harsh ruling for Blaskic. Tudjman warns that over 8,000 pages of intelligence documents and 4,000 pages of transcripts have been sent from the President's Office to the Hague-based Tribunal, contrary to valid regulations and government decrees. The majority of those documents are now being used by the tribunal's prosecution to issue indictments against Croatian citizens, Miroslav Tudjman said. (hina) ms sb