CRO LEGAL COMMITTEE: HAGUE VERDICTS CONTRARY TO INTERNATIONAL LAW

ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - The Croatian Legal Committee believes the Hague tribunal's sentences imposed on Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez are against the principles of international law which prohibits the punishment of foreign nationals with sentences which are harsher than those of national courts. The Hague war crimes tribunal on Monday sentenced Kordic, former vice-president of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, and Mario Cerkez, former commander of the Vitez brigade, to 25 and 15 years in prison respectively. In a statement issued today, the Croatian Legal Committee says the Hague rulings are a sentence imposed on the entire Croat people and state because the tribunal declared the conflict in Bosnia- Herzegovina an international conflict although, they say, Croatia was not involved in the war in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Committee calls on the Constitutional Court to consider its request and investigate if the Constitutional Law on the cooperation with the Hague tribunal is in line with the Constitution. The Croatian Legal Committee consists of ten Croatian legal experts, including Zvonimir Separovic, Ivan Gabelica, Zeljko Olujic and Vlado Maric. (hina) rml