MISETIC SAYS ICTY PROSECUTION IS BIASED

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Hina) - The statement made by the international war crimes tribunal's prosecution spokeswoman, Florence Hartmann that the prosecution could oppose the pre-trial release of General Rahim Ademi because Croatian authorities had allegedly failed to apprehend indictee General Ante Gotovina, has astonished Gotovina's attorney, Luka Misetic, who told Hina on Wednesday that the prosecution seemed biased. "I wish to express my shock at what appears to be a bias in the Office of the Prosecutor in favour of detainees from Republika Srpska and FRY, and against detainees from Croatia," Misetic said. Hartmann said that Ademi's pre-trial release would be affected by the fact that Gotovina was not arrested and extradited to the Hague- based tribunal. The authorities did not arrest the second indictee, thus enabling him to flee the country, she stated. Misetic recalled that the chief prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, "did not object to the pre-trial release of General Pavle Strugar to the FRY, ... only three days after del Ponte accused FRY of actively hiding indicted individuals". It is shocking that the prosecutor claims that the FRY authorities are actively harbouring indictees, and then hands over to the same authorities the indicted Strugar. The similar case is the one with the pre-trial release of Biljana Plavsic, Misetic said. "It is thus shocking that the prosecutor appears to have a double standard in favour of individuals from FRY and against those from the Republic of Croatia," the attorney stressed. "This double standard raises serious questions about the impartiality of the Office of the Prosecutor, and we are shocked by this illogical decision," the attorney stressed. (hina) lml