ZAGREB, Dec 19 (Hina) - The case of General Stipetic is very unpleasant for all of us, Defence Minister Jozo Rados said on Tuesday, slamming confusing information in the media as to whether the military chief-of-staff had been
summoned to UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague as indictee or only for an interview. Rados pointed out the tribunal's prosecutor's office could not speak to General Petar Stipetic without consent from the Croatian government and its office for cooperation with the tribunal. The tribunal's investigators "will talk to Stipetic only on premises set by the government and only on concrete, definitely not general subjects," he said. "To date, only generalised demands in connection with Flash and Storm have been arriving from The Hague," Rados said, adding "it is known that Stipetic didn't command either" of the two 1995 liberation operations, or the Medak Pocket actions. Aske
ZAGREB, Dec 19 (Hina) - The case of General Stipetic is very
unpleasant for all of us, Defence Minister Jozo Rados said on
Tuesday, slamming confusing information in the media as to whether
the military chief-of-staff had been summoned to UN's war crimes
tribunal in The Hague as indictee or only for an interview.
Rados pointed out the tribunal's prosecutor's office could not
speak to General Petar Stipetic without consent from the Croatian
government and its office for cooperation with the tribunal.
The tribunal's investigators "will talk to Stipetic only on
premises set by the government and only on concrete, definitely not
general subjects," he said.
"To date, only generalised demands in connection with Flash and
Storm have been arriving from The Hague," Rados said, adding "it is
known that Stipetic didn't command either" of the two 1995
liberation operations, or the Medak Pocket actions.
Asked if he knew whether Stipetic was a witness or indictee of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the
defence minister did not answer with precision.
He said that if the tribunal's prosecutor's office wanted to
interview any Croatian general without the government's consent it
would lead to a new escalation in relations.
Commenting on HSLS president Drazen Budisa's statement to today's
Vecernji list daily that "it is true The Hague suspects Stipetic for
Medak Pocket, Storm and Flash", Rados said the president of the
second strongest party in the ruling coalition had wanted to put an
end to media speculations.
He added the speculations were based on flippant allegations by
some media which published documents leaking from various
institutions, many of which not under government competence.
(hina) ha