ZAGREB, Jan 7 (Hina) - Croatia and FR Yugoslavia still have to +discuss criteria for the exchange of prisoners, particularly +regarding citizenship and the type of crime committed, a +representative for the Croatia side said in Zagreb
on Thursday.+ Head of the Croatian Commission for Missing and Imprisoned Persons, +Ivan Grujic, dismissed claims by Belgrade's daily "Politika" which +on Wednesday accused Croatia of not being prepared to accept a +suggestion on releasing all Serb prisoners, notwithstanding their +citizenship and type of crime they had committed.+ Lists exchanged by the two countries have been submitted to the +International Committee of the Red Cross for verification and +possible additions, and only then will the discussion on the "two +important criteria" be held - the type of crime committed and the +citizenship of the prisoners, Grujic said.+ He described as "absolutely unrea
ZAGREB, Jan 7 (Hina) - Croatia and FR Yugoslavia still have to
discuss criteria for the exchange of prisoners, particularly
regarding citizenship and the type of crime committed, a
representative for the Croatia side said in Zagreb on Thursday.
Head of the Croatian Commission for Missing and Imprisoned Persons,
Ivan Grujic, dismissed claims by Belgrade's daily "Politika" which
on Wednesday accused Croatia of not being prepared to accept a
suggestion on releasing all Serb prisoners, notwithstanding their
citizenship and type of crime they had committed.
Lists exchanged by the two countries have been submitted to the
International Committee of the Red Cross for verification and
possible additions, and only then will the discussion on the "two
important criteria" be held - the type of crime committed and the
citizenship of the prisoners, Grujic said.
He described as "absolutely unreasonable" to place the
perpetrators of classic crimes on lists pertaining to armed
conflicts. Croatia has never done so, he added.
"Politika" blames Croatia for being ready to only release citizens
of FR Yugoslavia, but not Croatian Serbs, and for contesting the
release of persons convicted of classic crimes.
According to the daily, FR Yugoslavia is seeking the release of 81
persons from Croatian prisons, while it is itself prepared to
release only 17 people.
"Surprised" that the issue is making news three weeks after the
meeting between the two countries' committees for missing and
imprisoned persons, Grujic told Hina "the problem was for the first
time discussed at a meeting (of the two commissions' working
groups) in Zagreb on December 22 and 23".
He recalled that the agreement between the two countries about an
exchange of prisoners on the principle "all for all" was reached by
Croatian and Yugoslav foreign ministers in August of last year,
when certain criteria were set.
The next meeting of the working groups will be held in Belgrade,
most probably at the end of the month, Grujic said.
(hina) lml