INTERPOL ISSUES INTERNATIONAL WARRANT FOR GOTOVINA BACK IN AUGUST

ZAGREB, Sept 6 (Hina) - Interpol Headquarters in Lyon issued an international arrest warrant ('Red Notice') for an International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indictee and former Croatian Army general Ante Gotovina two weeks ago, the Croatian Interior Ministry told Hina on Thursday. The Interpol 'Red Notice' was issued at the requested of the Dutch- based war crimes tribunal. "The ICTY has a special agreement with Interpol on the issuing of international arrest warrants after suspects and indictees wanted by the Tribunal," Interior Ministry spokeswoman Zinka Bardic told Hina in a short telephone interview. Interpol Headquarters in Lyon issued an international arrest warrant on August 21 and informed the Croatian Interior Ministry of the decision three days later. Bardic stated the public had not been informed of the Interpol 'Red Notice' because the Interior Ministry had not been authorised to make the warrant public. She refused to comment on whether this meant that Gotovina had left Croatia, briefly saying the police were still searching for the former Croatian Army general, after whom the Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant on July 23. A 'Red Notice' is Interpol's highest priority warrant. Interpol released information on the arrest warrant for Gotovina, whom the ICTY indicted on June 8 for crimes against humanity and the violation of war laws and customs committed after the 1995 Croatian liberation operation "Storm", on its web site on August 28. (hina) it sb