SUMMATIONS IN KORDIC-CERKEZ TRIAL SCHEDULED FOR DEC 14/15

ZAGREB, Nov 26 (Hina) - Summations in the trial of a former vice- president of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, Dario Kordic and a former commander of the Vitez Brigade, Mario Cerkez, will be delivered on December 14 and 15, the Hague war crimes tribunal said in its regular bulletin late this week. The trial chamber conducting this trial has decided that the parties in the trial must introduce all witnesses and new evidence by December 8. The trial of Kordic and Cerkez began on April 12 1999. The two are charged with the systematic persecution of Bosnian Muslim civilians on the political, racial, ethnic or religious basis, on the territory of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia from late 1991 to March 1994 (Kordic) and on the territory of Vitez, Novi Travnik and Busovaca (central Bosnia) between April 1992 and August 1993 (Cerkez). The prosecution charges Kordic and Cerkez both on the basis of individual and commanding responsibility with crimes against humanity and grave violations of the Geneva conventions and the law and customs of war. Neither Kordic nor Cerkez have testified in the trial. More than 200 witnesses have taken the stand and thousands of documents, including those bearing the official title 'Zagreb Evidence', have been presented during the trial. 'Zagreb Documents' were made available for inspection to the Hague tribunal by the new Croatian authorities. The Kordic-Cerkez trial is longer not only than other trials before the Hague tribunal for war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, but it is also longer than the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials of war crimes committed in World War II. (hina) rml