WITNESSES FROM ISRAEL, YUGOSLAVIA, BOSNIA SUMMONSED IN SAKIC TRIAL

ZAGREB, April 1 (Hina) - The Zagreb County Court Panel of Judges on Thursday sent two witnesses from Israel, four from Yugoslavia and one from Bosnia-Herzegovina (the Bosnian Serb entity) summons to testify in the main hearing against Dinko Sakic, a commander of the Ustasha concentration camp of Jasenovac. The summonsed witnesses are Zdenko Schwartz and Ervin Rosenberg (Israel), Milos Despot (Republika Srpska), and Mihajlo Maric, Josip Stjepanovic, Eduard Stajer and Josip Erlih (Yugoslavia). Their testimonies are scheduled for early May, Zagreb County Court president Damir Kos told reporters in Zagreb on Thursday. The summonses were sent through the Justice Ministry in accordance with the signed international agreements on providing international legal assistance in criminal proceedings. The transport of witnesses to Croatia, their stay there and return have been organised in cooperation with Croatian embassies in the states the witnesses are from. Their arrival at the main hearing will be secured by the judicial authorities, Kos said. Expressing satisfaction with the objective coverage of the trial so far by the media, Kos said he was convinced the media would "continue covering the main hearing with the same level of objectivness to remove all previously voiced suspicions about the efforts of the judicial authority to shed light as objectively and completely as possible on the part of Croatian history which include events the defendant Sakic is charged with". Witnesses Mirjana Radman, Dervis Sarac and Josip Habjanec are to take the stand next week. Asked why Cedo Prodanovic, attorney for the brother of a Jasenovac victim, Mile Boskovic, did not appear at the trial, Kos said Prodanovic had been summonsed and warned that the trial could be held even without his presence. "Prodanovic has not notified us about the reasons of his non- attendance so we don't know whether he is gathering the announced powers of attorney of the new injured parties or was unable to come due his other obligations", Kos said. (hina) rml