GOTOVINA NOT BEING ARRESTED COULD JEOPARDISE ADEMI'S RELEASE

THE HAGUE, Dec 12 (Hina) - The fact the Croatian authorities have not arrested the indicted Croatian general Ante Gotovina could directly affect the decision of the Hague tribunal's prosecution decision about General Rahim Ademi defending himself from freedom, the international war crime tribunal's prosecution spokeswoman, Frolence Hartmann said on Wednesday. Stressing she did not know the final stance of the prosecution, Hartmann said that the Croatian authorities had not apprehended the second indictee, thus giving him the opportunity to flee the country. This gives us cause for concern, she added. Hartmann recalled that the Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte had already, before the UN Security Council, warned about the fact that Croatia had made it possible for General Gotovina to flee the country. Rahim Ademi's defence counsel announced that they would next week file a request for his temporary release until the start of the trial. Ademi has been indicted for command responsibility in crimes against Serbs in the Medak Pocket in 1993. He handed himself over to the tribunal this July. Gotovina has been indicted of war crimes Croatian forces allegedly committed during and after the 1995 Storm liberation operation. (hina) lml sb