SARAJEVO-BASED WEEKLY ON ALLEGED INDICTMENT AGAINST TUDJMAN

SARAJEVO, Aug 20 (Hina) - A Sarajevo-based weekly in its latest issue claims the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague has prepared an indictment against Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, which is filed as IT-99-35. According to the issue which hit news-stands on Friday, "Dani" obtained its information from a close circle of Hague Tribunal officials. The formal raising of the indictment is not in question at all, the weekly states, adding it remains to be seen whether it will be done in the last weeks of chief prosecutor Louise Arbour's mandate, or if it will be left to her successor, Carla Del Ponte. "Dani" quotes Jim Landale, spokesman for The Hague Tribunal, as saying the indictment could either be one which has been entered but not yet confirmed by the judge, or an indictment still being worked on. He is reported to have said there were several explanations, but declined to specify what IT-99-35 means. The Sarajevo-based weekly claims the prepared indictment against Tudjman has already been forwarded to the United States administration, which allegedly was the reason why President Clinton refused Tudjman's demand for a protocol bilateral meeting and photographs during a summit in Sarajevo at the end of July. According to "Dani", diplomatic sources contacted in Brussels and Washington claim the Croatian government is also in possession of information on the Tudjman indictment. The official Zagreb's more radical position towards The Hague Tribunal is the result of a strategy aimed at presenting the issuing of the indictment as an act of the West's political revenge against Croatia, due to Croatia's refusal to surrender generals which might face war crimes charges, "Dani" says. Were the situation to become more strained, the introduction of sanctions against Croatia allegedly would not be a point of question, the weekly claims, adding the West is still considering their extent, not wanting to bring into question "the expected defeat of the (ruling) HDZ at the impending parliamentary elections." (hina) ha