CROATIA EXPECTS TO DEFINE PRINCIPLES OF COOPERATION WITH ICTY SOON

ZAGREB, May 10 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Premier Goran Granic on Wednesday announced Croatia would soon define principles of cooperation with The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Granic spoke to the press following talks with ICTY president Claude Jorda. "We have concluded that expert teams should begin working on the implementation and understanding of our demands, which will probably result in a document by which Croatia will define the implementation of those principles with the International Criminal Tribunal, namely its prosecutor's office," the deputy premier said. Granic said he and Jorda discussed mutual cooperation and the implementation of a parliamentary declaration on cooperation with the ICTY, issues in connection with investigations in Croatia by Croatian bodies, possibilities of holding trials in Croatia, and subjects sentenced by the ICTY serving sentences in Croatia. Both Granic and Jorda emphasised today's talks had been held in a very good atmosphere, which was indicative of a new spirit in Croatia-ICTY relations. According to the ICTY president, the spirit in which a symposium on the tribunal's work was recently held in Opatija, the talks with Croatian President Stipe Mesic and Deputy Premier Granic indicated Croatia's cooperation with The Hague tribunal would proceed in a very favourable atmosphere, be loyal and obstacle-free. Jorda pointed out it was important that both sides work on bilateral cooperation for it to succeed. We must be completely transparent in our work, he said, adding it was in the interest of all countries that they hide nothing before the tribunal, which would go to the detriment of both the defendant and the victim. (hina) ha mm