SAKIC'S DEFENCE ATTORNEY EXPECTS HIS TRIAL TO BE FAIR AND JUST

ZAGREB, March 2 (Hina) - Ivan Kern, the defence attorney for Dinko Sakic, the former commander of a concentration camp in Croatia during WWII, indicted of war crimes against humanity, expects his trial, scheduled to begin on Thursday, to be fair and just. Kern told reporters on Tuesday the fact that the defendant had been the commander of a concentration camp did not imply liability of command. "It must be proved that at the time he (Sakic) was commander of the Jasenovac camp, his subordinates had committed crimes. Mr. Sakic has admitted he had been the commander of the Jasenovac camp during a certain period of time, which does not necessarily mean the crimes had been committed at that exact time, as the prosecution claims," Kern said. "The prosecution must prove that at a certain time, during which Dinko Sakic was commander at the Jasenovac camp, war crimes were committed," Kern stressed. In reply to a reporter's question, Kern said the defence counsel have so far no witnesses, adding there would probably be a very small number of witnesses at the trial who had been prisoners at the camp. "There will be other evidence, written documents, which will be submitted and which will bring into question the credibility of witnesses," Kern said. The defence will try to eliminate some crimes which may have happened outside of the period of time at which Sakic claims he was commander of the camp. "I expect this to be the field of battle between the defence and the prosecution," Kern stressed. (hina) lml mm