KORDIC IS WELL AND PREPARING HIMSELF FOR START OF TRIAL - LAWYER

THE HAGUE, March 14 (Hina) - Dario Kordic is spending the last month before the beginning of his trial by holding frequent meetings with lawyers and reading the case material, Kordic's defence counsel, Mitko Naumovski, said on Sunday explaining that in this way Kordic has been preparing himself for the start of the trial scheduled for 12 April in The Hague. Dario is feeling well both physically and mentally, and he has realised that maximum patience is necessary, the lawyer added. Kordic has been in custody since October 6, 1997, when he along with a group of ten Bosnian Croats voluntarily surrendered to the Hague- based International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez have had to spend the longest period in custody in The Hague so far awaiting the beginning of the trial. The Prosecution accuses Kordic of persecuting the Moslem population in central Bosnia on the political, racial and religious grounds from November 1991 to March 1994. His indictment alleges that he violated the Geneva Conventions, war customs and rights and committed crimes against humanity while he was the Vice-President of the Croatian community of Herzeg-Bosna and subsequently the Vice-President of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosna. According to the Prosecution, by holding such posts since September 1992, Kordic played a key role in the creation and the implementation of the policy, aims and the strategy of Bosnia- Herzegovina's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, the Croatian Community and later Republic of Herzeg-Bosna and the Bosnian Croatian Defence Council (HVO). The indictment alleges that Kordic and others in this case planned, ordered and started the systematic persecution and abuse of Moslems and violated thus international humanitarian law. In addition to Kordic, Mario Cerkez who was the commander of the Vitez brigade, will appear in this court in a month's time to be tried on the same indictment. Both men pleaded not-guilty to all charges. Kordic's defence team consists of American attorneys Turner Smith Jr. and David Geneson of the "Hunton&Williamson" law firm, besides Mitko Naumovski. Naumovski said a possible decision on Kordic's testimony would be made during the trial. No final decision has yet been taken, he added. Last week, the Hague-based Court confirmed that the trial of Kordic and Cerkez would commence on 12 April. Also last week, the Trial Chamber ordered to the Prosecution to translate a great amount of testimony, forwarded in English at the last moment, into a language which the defendant Kordic can understand. The Prosecution is bound to have translated materials by April 6, and after that not translated materials will be excluded from trial procedures. A few days ago the Prosecution handed to the Defence Counsel a list of testimonies, used during the trials of the Kaonik Camp head, Zlatko Aleksovski, and the commander of the Central Bosnian operational zone, General Tihomir Blaskic, which they would like to transfer in the trials of Kordic and Cerkez. Speaking about conditions in the Scheveningen detention centre where Kordic is being kept in custody, Naumovski said cells met basic hygienic requirements. Since recently TV sets have been available to the detained persons in their cells, so that they can watch, for instance, the Croatian Television First Programme. Kordic's family visits him every six weeks and stays with him for five or six days. (hina) ms