ZAGREB, July 31 (Hina) - Miroslav Tudjman, a former head of the a Croatian intelligence service (HIS), has said he does not know "why he should be interesting for the UN war crimes tribunal." Asked to comment on allegations of a
weekly 'Nacional' that the tribunal launched an investigation against him and another 30 Croatians, Tudjman, a son of the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and a former head of the said Croatian counter-intelligence service (HIS), was quoted by the Croatian Television's news programme on Tuesday evening as saying that he did not know why the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) would be interested in him. "I only know what I did as the head of the HIS which did not tackle Croatian nationals, and this can in no way be linked with the case of (Bosnian Croats) Mladen Naletilic Tuta and Vinko Martinovic Stela," Tudjman said. According to a
ZAGREB, July 31 (Hina) - Miroslav Tudjman, a former head of the a
Croatian intelligence service (HIS), has said he does not know "why
he should be interesting for the UN war crimes tribunal."
Asked to comment on allegations of a weekly 'Nacional' that the
tribunal launched an investigation against him and another 30
Croatians, Tudjman, a son of the late Croatian President Franjo
Tudjman and a former head of the said Croatian counter-intelligence
service (HIS), was quoted by the Croatian Television's news
programme on Tuesday evening as saying that he did not know why the
ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia)
would be interested in him.
"I only know what I did as the head of the HIS which did not tackle
Croatian nationals, and this can in no way be linked with the case of
(Bosnian Croats) Mladen Naletilic Tuta and Vinko Martinovic
Stela," Tudjman said.
According to a source close to the Croatian government, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, the Tribunal in The Hague is interested in
documents connected with Miroslav Tudjman and about 30 ex officials
pertaining to the ICTY's ongoing process of Tuta and Stela.
Asked whether he will give a statement or be a witness if asked by
the ICTY's Prosecution to do so, Tudjman replied that such a
question was unacceptable.
"The question is unacceptable, as it leads to developing the
thinking that all of us are candidates for the Tribunal and that
sooner or later we shall go there," Mirioslav Tudjman said.
A Croatian Deputy Prime Minister, Zeljka Antunovic, has said the
former officials, cited in 'Nacional', are potential witnesses and
there are no investigations against them.
The Tribunal's Prosecution declined to comment on the weekly's
speculations.
(hina) ms