YU EXPERT: ICJ HAS NO JURISDICTION OVES DISPUTES WITH CROATIA, BOSNIA

BELGRADE, May 3 (Hina) - A legal expert representing Yugoslavia in lawsuits Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina filed against Yugoslavia with the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) believes the court should be declared unauthorised to conduct cases against Yugoslavia. Tibor Varadi, who is also a legal advisor to the Yugoslav foreign minister, told Belgrade's weekly NIN on Thursday his opinion was based on the fact that Yugoslavia had in the meantime become a full member of the United Nations. "Yugoslavia's admission to the U.N. puts the question of jurisdiction into a new context and gives us arguments to request that ICJ's jurisdiction be reconsidered," Varadi said. He recalled that on April 23 he had submitted such a request to the ICJ and that Bosnia-Herzegovina was expected to respond by September 30 this year. Asked which suit was more dangerous for Yugoslavia - Bosnia's or Croatia's, Varadi said the dispute with Bosnia had lasted for eight years and some moves had been made "which significantly narrow the manoeuvring space" of the Yugoslav legal team. As regards the dispute with Croatia, "first serious moves are yet to be made," he said. The two disputes differ in the fact that in Croatia "most destruction occurred before Croatia was recognised as an independent country," he said. Reminding that Yugoslavia has been sued "for the gravest act in the penal code," Varadi said that if the court ruled that Yugoslavia should pay war reparations, "this would seriously undermine the prospects for economic revival and development in foreseeable time." "We probably would not be able to pay the debt, but the burden of the debt would considerably affect our credit ability and international economic position," he said. /hina) rml