NORAC'S ABSENCE IS NO OBSTACLE TO CONDUCTING INVESTIGATION-DEPUTY STATE PROSECUTOR

RIJEKA, Feb 15 (Hina) - The non-attendance of retired Croatian general Mirko Norac at investigative hearings does not hinder the investigation, and should an indictment be issued against him, he can be tried in absentia too, the Deputy State Prosecutor for Rijeka County, Doris Hrast, told reporters on Thursday. Hrast is representing the prosecution in the case against a group of Gospic residents accused of war crimes committed against civilians in the Gospic area in 1991. Hrast expects the investigation will have been completed by mid- March, and should it not end by that time, the indictees who have been under investigation since September last year will be able to defend themselves without being detained. There is no reason at present to extend the investigation to new suspects and the decision on including General Norac and Brigadier Milan Condic in the investigation was made by the State Prosecutor's Office, Hrast said. This is common procedure given the gravity of the case and current political implications, he added. Asked about the general atmosphere surrounding the probe, Hrast and investigating judge Sajonara Culina said the investigation was unimpeded and would continue normally with all available measures being taken regarding General Norac. The appeal of the defence attorney against the ruling that Norac be taken into custody will be considered once Norac is taken into custody, Culina said. Both Hrast and Culina said they had no reliable information on Norac's whereabouts. Culina also spoke about her meeting of January 17 with Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic which tackled the costs of an exhumation at Debelo Brdo, a location in the Gospic area. It was envisaged that the victims discovered at the location be identified with standard procedures but this was not possible, which is why they are being identified with a rather expensive DNA method. Some of the victims exhumed at Debelo Brdo are held missing in government reports, which is why the meeting tackled the possibility for some exhumation and identification costs to be covered by the government Office for Missing Persons and Refugees, Culina said, adding the office had confirmed this possibility. The investigating judge said she and the justice minister had also discussed her and Hrast's visit to The Hague, where they were to take over documents on the case, gathered by the Hague war crimes tribunal, and consider investigative procedures involving three Hague witnesses. We did not pay the visit because the ICTY sent us the testimony of a Hague witness, late Milan Levar, Culina said. She added that persons authorised by some injured parties in the 'Gospic case' had provided her with reports on the autopsy of the bodies exhumed at Debelo Brdo, conducted previously by Belgrade's Military Medical Centre. The Rijeka County Court on Thursday questioned another three witnesses who had no direct knowledge about incriminations and did not implicate the accused, defence attorneys said. According to Condic's attorney, his client has asked to present his defence once again. He will be allowed to do so and will testify about the acts he is suspected of, the attorney said. The investigation against 'the Gospic group' resumes tomorrow. (hina) rml