CLAIMS BY ZUROFF AND BAER - ATTEMPT AT INTERFERING WITH COURT WORK- SAKIC'S ATTORNEY

ZAGREB, March 5 (Hina) - The defence believes that statements by the director of Jerusalem's "Simon Wiesenthal" Centre, Ephraim Zuroff, and the president of the international Jewish organisation B'nai B'rith, Tommy Bear, are an attempt at direct interference with the work of the court and obvious pressure on the panel of judges, said Ivan Kern, attorney for Dinko Sakic, commander of a concentration camp in Croatia during World War II. Kern was commenting on suspicions voiced regarding the further course of the trial and claims that an international expert team should be formed to establish Sakic's psychological and physical condition. "I believe it is inadmissible, even uncivilised behaviour, beyond all international standards they are referring to", Kern said. He said it was not clear where international objections stopped, since they could be heard already at the beginning of the trial, regardless of the fact that Croatian courts had carried out the investigation within six months and called the trial shortly afterwards. Why don't they compare that to similar of lighter cases in their own countries or at the Hague Tribunal, the attorney added. A postponement of a trial for ten days, when the defendant is in poor psychological and physical state, is completely in accordance with the procedure applied in Croatia and other democratic countries, regardless of what Mr. Zuroff and Mr. Baer may think about it, Kern added. "I hope they don't believe they can bring the verdict with them, for the court to put a seal on it, so that they could then pronounce it a fair and lawful trial. How long do they intend to use every opportunity to accuse Croatia of sins to be answered for by every Croat, without previous establishment of individual guilt", Kern asked. (hina) mm rml