ICTY PROSECUTION STARTS CROSS-EXAMINATION OF GEN. BLASKIC

THE HAGUE, April 12 (Hina) - In the continuation of his testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Monday, General Tihomir Blaskic said he had not been able nor had he dared ask to inspect the whole file on the results of the investigation into the Ahmici crime, which is in the archive of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) intelligence service (SIS). "I did not ask the Defence Minister to allow me to check the intelligence service archive because I believe I would not have been allowed to do it", Blaskic said when cross-examined by ICTY prosecutor Gregory Kehoe, who asked Blaskic if and who he had requested the SIS file on Ahmici. This is the first day Blaskic is answering questions by the prosecution after he had been answering questions by defence attorneys for six weeks. The prosecution is expected to have the same amount of time at their disposal for the cross-examination. Blaskic said that, as the then HVO chief-of-staff, he had tried to obtain the SIS file, but was prevented from doing so. In February and March, Blaskic testified that on several occasions in 1993 he had asked an assistant of his about the results of the SIS on Ahmici but was told that the whole file had been forwarded to the SIS directorate in Mostar. Blaskic also said he believed the archive would be open for his attorneys in the interest of his defence. The defence told the ICTY that it had not been able to access the archive and therefore could not submit documentation which bears witness to reports sent by Blaskic to the Main Staff on problems encountered in the investigation of the Ahmici case and difficulties in the chain of command. The prosecutor then asked Blaskic if Ante Jelavic, the incumbent member of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency, had lied when in 1997 he explained to ICTY President Gabrielle Kirk McDonald that there was no central HVO archive, which could send documentation requested by the prosecution in a binding order while they were preparing for the Blaskic trial. "The Defence Ministry was in charge of establishing the archive. I don't know how far the establishment of the archive had gone", Blaskic said. In spite of being under considerable pressure from the prosecution's and tribunal's questions, Blaskic answered in a composed manner and without nervousness. Blaskic is defending himself from charges with war crimes his forces committed in central Bosnia during the Croat-Muslim conflict in 1993. (hina) jn rml