ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina) - Croatia's judiciary will take over part of the investigations into war crimes committed in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, including the Ahmici village case, the chief prosecutor for the war crimes tribunal in
The Hague, Carla del Ponte, said in Zagreb on Wednesday.
ZAGREB, May 24 (Hina) - Croatia's judiciary will take over part of
the investigations into war crimes committed in Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina, including the Ahmici village case, the chief
prosecutor for the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Carla del
Ponte, said in Zagreb on Wednesday.#L#
Del Ponte spoke to the press after talking to Croatian Premier Ivica
Racan and his associates.
We have concluded the important thing is not to carry out a double,
national and international investigation, del Ponte said, adding
the talks addressed concrete cases and concrete defendants. Now we
know what the national judiciary will do, and what the ICTY will do,
she asserted.
We have agreed to work together, exchange documents and
information, but also that each side should carry its own
investigation, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) said.
Besides Premier Racan, present at today's talks were First Deputy
Premier Goran Granic, Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic, and the
head of the government's office for cooperation with the ICTY,
Orsat Miljenic.
Asked if she could confirm this meant that Croatia's judiciary
would investigate the Ahmici crime, del Ponte said "absolutely". We
cannot investigate all accountable parties, and are very grateful
when a national judiciary can act against persons responsible for
war crimes, she added.
Del Ponte said she had come to Zagreb to discuss some problems in the
Croatian government's cooperation with the ICTY.
We now know what those problems were and have been assured that
cooperation will continue and be even more productive, del Ponte
said, adding both the ICTY and Croatia's government wanted to know
the truth about what happened.
First Deputy Premier Granic told the press the talks analysed past
cooperation and problems and sought new solutions "directed
towards the realisation of the Declaration on cooperation with The
Hague tribunal, which Croatia's parliament has adopted."
"The problems referred to differences in expectations as to how
fast documents referring to events in Bosnia-Herzegovina would be
examined," said Granic.
Today's talks also addressed measures which need to be taken in view
of fully implementing obligations to ICTY's prosecution.
"We want to help the prosecution in its work and will make attempts
towards a better organisation, in view of meeting the prosecution's
demands more timely," the first deputy premier said.
(hina) ha jn