ZAGREB, March 2 (Hina) - A draft genocide claim against Yugoslavia which Croatia sent the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday could lead to the issuing of new indictments, Deputy Foreign Minister Goran Granic
said on Friday.
ZAGREB, March 2 (Hina) - A draft genocide claim against Yugoslavia
which Croatia sent the Hague-based International Court of Justice
(ICJ) on Thursday could lead to the issuing of new indictments,
Deputy Foreign Minister Goran Granic said on Friday.#L#
This also refers to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
whose indictment could be extended to include genocide committed in
Croatia, Granic said. He added the draft of the Croatian action, the
memorial, provided grounds for issuing indictments against
Vojislav Seselj, the leader of Serbia's radicals, and some other
individuals from both Yugoslavia and Croatia.
Some 40-50 experts, institutions, law students and non-
governmental organisations from Croatia worked on drafting the
action against Yugoslavia, said the deputy prime minister. The
result is 2,700 pages of legal, factual and material evidence
proving that Yugoslavia breached the international convention on
genocide in Croatia between 1991 and 1995.
Croatia's representative in the action Ivan Simonovic said the
document would not made public pending trial.
He pointed to five main conclusions: genocide was committed in
Croatia between 1991 and 1995, Croatia seeks that Yugoslavia punish
every perpetrator of genocide within its jurisdiction, that truth
be established about 1,419 missing Croatian citizens, that
cultural heritage alienated in that period be returned, and that
damages be paid in the broadest sense to Croatia and individuals.
Yugoslavia has a 18-month period to submit to the ICJ its written
response to Croatia's action. According to Simonovic, Belgrade's
reaction may only be assumed. It is possible that in the preliminary
stage Yugoslavia submit a complaint about jurisdiction or a
procedural action or counterclaim. Under ICJ's rules of procedure
and evidence, it is expected the main hearing will start in three
years.
The chief prosecutor with UN's war crimes tribunal, Carla del
Ponte, has said she is very satisfied with the memorial and that it
will help in her investigations, said Granic.
Asked if it was possible that Bosnia file an action against Croatia
before the ICJ in the wake of the recent judgement passed in the
trial of Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez trial, which claims Croatia
was involved in the Bosnian conflict, the deputy prime minister
said Croatia would react upon receiving the text of the judgement.
Simonovic said the memorial against Yugoslavia among else contains
a statement, signed by himself and Bosnia's Muhamed Sacirbej, on
cooperation in proceedings before the ICJ. The statement also says
Croatia and Bosnia were attacked by the same aggressor.
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