ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Jan 4 (Hina) - An official with UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague said on Thursday the Croatian media were not serious in doing their job of informing the public, but wished to criminalise the tribunal and
frighten the public. The Croatian media wish to criminalise The Hague, Florence Hartman, spokeswoman for the tribunal's chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte, told Hina commenting on allegations in the Croatian press that indictments might be filed against some 100 former officials whose names are mentioned in a letter allegedly delivered to the government's office for cooperation with the tribunal. Hartman said the media should inform the public, but that what the Croatian media were doing in connection with the tribunal's work was flippant and on a tabloid level. Asked if the tribunal's activity was being directed at criminalising the former political leadership, she said some people
ZAGREB/THE HAGUE, Jan 4 (Hina) - An official with UN's war crimes
tribunal in The Hague said on Thursday the Croatian media were not
serious in doing their job of informing the public, but wished to
criminalise the tribunal and frighten the public.
The Croatian media wish to criminalise The Hague, Florence Hartman,
spokeswoman for the tribunal's chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte,
told Hina commenting on allegations in the Croatian press that
indictments might be filed against some 100 former officials whose
names are mentioned in a letter allegedly delivered to the
government's office for cooperation with the tribunal.
Hartman said the media should inform the public, but that what the
Croatian media were doing in connection with the tribunal's work
was flippant and on a tabloid level.
Asked if the tribunal's activity was being directed at
criminalising the former political leadership, she said some
people would evidently be happier if the tribunal did not exist at
all.
According to Hartman, insinuations that almost every Croat is a
potential candidate for The Hague are flippant. There is a campaign
aimed at frightening the public with the intention to neutralise
the tribunal's work and make those accountable for crimes evade
responsibility, she said.
The spokeswoman said that between Zagreb and The Hague there were
internal exchanges of documentation the point of which is to demand
specific documents, specific meetings with specific people,
testimonies, and corroboration of specific evidence. She added she
was not informed about every note that was sent.
Asked to confirm allegations in today's press to the effect that the
tribunal had requested the Croatian government to deliver
transcripts of conversations former President Franjo Tudjman had
held with then top state officials, Hartman said the tribunal
requested documents related to any ongoing investigation,
including those into attacks on Dubrovnik or Vukovar.
Various documents have been requested, documents related to all
investigations the tribunal is making, she said.
Hartman did not offer any information as to an investigation into
Biljana Plavsic, the former president of Bosnia's Serb entity.
Belgrade's news agency Beta said last Saturday Plavsic had been
summoned for an interview this week and that the summons did not say
if she should appear as witness or suspect.
Hartman said she could only confirm that Plavsic's name was not
contained in the indictments which had been issued.
She also said it remained unknown when chief prosecutor del Ponte
would visit Zagreb. The visit was announced in December.
(hina) ha