THE HAGUE, June 22 (Hina) - The defence is rather satisfied with statements of key witnesses to events in central Bosnia during the Croat-Moslem war, who gave their testimonies in the recent days at the trial of General Tihomir
Blaskic after they were summoned by the Tribunal, said Anto Nobilo, a defence attorney of the defendant Blaskic, the former commander of the HVO (Croatian Defence Council) Central Bosnia Operative Zone. Testimonies of all witnesses have not harmed interests of the defence and we are satisfied with them, particularly with the statement of General Morillon who helped much the Tribunal to comprehend what had been happening in Bosnia, Nobilo said in The Hague where the International War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) is trying Bosnian Croat General Blaskic. Nobilo refused to speak about the contents of these testimonies given at the closed sessions. In line with a ruling of the IC
THE HAGUE, June 22 (Hina) - The defence is rather satisfied with
statements of key witnesses to events in central Bosnia during the
Croat-Moslem war, who gave their testimonies in the recent days at
the trial of General Tihomir Blaskic after they were summoned by the
Tribunal, said Anto Nobilo, a defence attorney of the defendant
Blaskic, the former commander of the HVO (Croatian Defence Council)
Central Bosnia Operative Zone.
Testimonies of all witnesses have not harmed interests of the
defence and we are satisfied with them, particularly with the
statement of General Morillon who helped much the Tribunal to
comprehend what had been happening in Bosnia, Nobilo said in The
Hague where the International War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) is trying
Bosnian Croat General Blaskic.
Nobilo refused to speak about the contents of these testimonies
given at the closed sessions.
In line with a ruling of the ICTY Trial Chamber which has been
leading the Blaskic case for almost two years, key witnesses to the
1993 developments in the Lasva River Valley appeared in court in the
recent weeks to cast some light on statements which General Blaskic
gave during his testifying before the ICTY.
In addition to French General Morillon who commanded the UN mission
(UNPROFOR) in Bosnia in 1993, a former head of the European
Community's monitoring mission in Bosnia, Jean-Pierre Thebault,
also testified at a closed session, at a request of the French
Government.
Other key witnesses who appeared in court were the commander of the
British UN Battalion in central Bosnia, Colonel Bob Stewart, a
former commander of the third corps of the (Moslem-dominated)
Bosnian Army, General Enver Hadzihasanovic, and three commanders
of the seventh Moslem brigade at the time of the Croat-Moslem
conflict.
The testimony of Bob Stewart, according to Nobilo, showed that he
"possesses few facts from which he draws final conclusions on the
responsibility for Ahmici."
Last week this British officer told Hague judges that Blaskic, who
was the commander at the time, must be held accountable for the
massacre of Moslems in the village Ahmici.
The Ahmici massacre is the gravest crime in the indictment against
Blaskic accused of crimes allegedly committed by HVO troops or
military police.
"The problem of Bob Stewart is that he as a UN officer failed in
crucial days of the April clashes, so he wants to projects his own
feeling of guilt onto someone else," Nobilo explained.
According to the Croatian lawyer, with the onset of the conflict in
the Lasva River Valley, Stewart was in Zenica instead in his base
near Vitez for unknown reasons.
Furthermore, Stewart failed to mention to his superiors and the
European Community's representatives Blaskic's proposal for
launching an investigation into the Ahmici crime, Nobilo added.
The defence has already prepared response to all Stewart's theses
on Blaskic's responsibility.
The testimony of commanders of the seventh Moslem brigade showed
that war records of this unit also included crimes against Croats in
Zenica, Travnik and Vares, Nobilo said.
(hina) ms