BLASKIC DENIES EVER HAVING ORDERED KILLINGS AND DESTRUCTION

THE HAGUE, Feb 25 (Hina) - Croatian Defence Council General Tihomir Blaskic on Thursday continued his defence testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague by denying having ever ordered the killing of civilians and captives, or the destruction of religious objects and property. The defendant also denied that his commands from April 1993 could in any way be linked to a massacre of Muslims in Ahmici. "No, I never gave that order," Blaskic said in response to his attorney's question whether "before or after" mid-April 1993 he had ever ordered "the killing of civilians, prisoners of war, the destruction of religious objects, and civilian property." Defence attorney Anto Nobilo also inquired whether "what took place in Ahmici could have resulted" from three orders Blaskic issued on April 15 and 16, 1993. The defendant replied with a "No." Blaskic gave another brief "No" to Nobilo's question whether he had issued any other orders in that period besides the three read in court. His Thursday testimony focused on the break-out of the Croat-Muslim war in Lasvanska Valley in central Bosnia in mid-April 1993, the time when the most serious crime he is charged with took place - the killing of some 100 Muslims in Ahmici. (hina) ha mm