THE HAGUE, May 14 (Hina) - Two key international representatives in Bosnia-Herzegovina during Croat-Bosniak conflicts will testify at a closed session of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the
Blaskic case, the Tribunal said Friday. The trial chamber ordered for General Fillipe Morillon, a former UN Protection Force commander, and Jean-Pierre Thebault, former observer mission chief of the European community, to appear before it on June 16, Tribunal's spokesman Jim Landale said at a regular news conference in The Hague. He added the session would be closed for the public. The trial chamber determined French Government representatives and UN Secretary-General envoys may be present at the session. They may intervene during the testimonies and explain 'higher interests' due to which the witness should not answer some questions. Witnesses are expected to speak about the deployment of troop
THE HAGUE, May 14 (Hina) - Two key international representatives in
Bosnia-Herzegovina during Croat-Bosniak conflicts will testify at
a closed session of the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Blaskic case, the Tribunal said
Friday.
The trial chamber ordered for General Fillipe Morillon, a former UN
Protection Force commander, and Jean-Pierre Thebault, former
observer mission chief of the European community, to appear before
it on June 16, Tribunal's spokesman Jim Landale said at a regular
news conference in The Hague. He added the session would be closed
for the public.
The trial chamber determined French Government representatives and
UN Secretary-General envoys may be present at the session.
They may intervene during the testimonies and explain 'higher
interests' due to which the witness should not answer some
questions.
Witnesses are expected to speak about the deployment of troops in
central Bosnia and their command structure, negotiations they
attended, the role of political leaders and their personal
experience of the defendant's character.
The trial chamber in March hearing the Blaskic case ordered the
appearance of six witnesses the defendant had spoken about during
his hearing.
Besides Morillon and Thebault, the Tribunal also ordered the
appearance of the commander of the UN British battalion, Bob
Stewart, commanders of the Bosnian Army third corps of the seventh
Moslem brigade, General Enver Hadzihasanovic and Lieutenant
Colonel Serif Patkovic, as well as the Chief-of-Staff of the
Croatian Defence Council (HVO), Milivoj Petkovic.
Landale said he had no information on whether other subpoenaed
witnesses would appear before the Tribunal. The ICTY ordered they
must testify by the end of June at the latest, and it is expected the
ICTY would issue orders such as the one issued for Morillon, Landale
said.
Tihomir Blaskic is standing trial for crimes his troops committed
during Croat-Moslem conflicts in the Lasva Valley in 1993. Blaskic
was at the time commander of the Central Bosnia Operative Zone.
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