ZAGREB, Aug 30 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Monday rejected the complaint the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) made to the United Nations Security Council about Croatia's non-cooperation with The
Hague-based tribunal.
ZAGREB, Aug 30 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Monday rejected
the complaint the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) made to the United Nations Security Council about
Croatia's non-cooperation with The Hague-based tribunal.#L#
The government at a session held on Monday once again pointed to the
legitimacy of military and police operations by which in 1995
Croatia liberated the majority of its territory occupied by the
former Yugoslav People's Army in 1991.
Discussing the situation in the wake of ICTY president Gabrielle
Kirk McDonald's complaint, the government reached the following
conclusions:
1. The Croatian government rejects the complaint that it does not
cooperate with the ICTY. Croatia has cooperated with the ICTY the
whole time, in good faith, seriously and thoroughly, and will to
this effect this week issue a thorough Report to the domestic and
foreign public.
2. In the Mladen Naletilic - Tuta case, court proceedings are being
held in keeping with the Constitutional Law on Croatia's
cooperation with The Hague tribunal on extradition. The Croatian
government will do everything to have the court ruling and the
Constitutional Law respected.
3. In the case of operations Flash and Storm, the Croatian
government believes, in line with conclusions by the Croatian
National Parliament, that nothing could bring into question the
legitimacy and historical justifiability of the mentioned military
and police operations. The Croatian government will appeal to the
Security Council to the effect of having the issue of jurisdiction
over operations Flash and Storm settled in court before the ICTY
Panel of Judges.
4. The Croatian government will notify the Security Council, the
ICTY, and representatives of the international community about its
conclusions.
ICTY president McDonald on Wednesday filed a report to the UN
Security Council, at the request of ICTY chief prosecutor Louise
Arbour, about Croatia's refusal to cooperate in an investigation
about Flash and Storm, and for the failure to extradite Tuta, who
was indicted last year for crimes committed in the Mostar region
during the Croat-Muslim conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The conclusions the Croatian government reached today were read to
the press by Foreign Minister Mate Granic, who did not attend the
session.
Granic said the government "resolutely" rejected the ICTY
complaint.
With regard to Tuta, Granic said Croatia was determined to
implement The Hague tribunal's decisions within the framework of
its agreement on cooperation with the tribunal.
Asked by the press when, if extradition proceedings were
undertaken, Tuta could be surrendered to the ICTY, the foreign
minister said he could not speak about dates at this point.
Granic also said the government would submit evidence on
cooperation with the ICTY to the UN Security Council and all
countries members of the Contact Group.
Granic said the government would also put forward a basic proposal,
namely that one person cannot judge whether The Hague tribunal is
competent for Flash and Storm, but that a decision on the matter
should be made by the Panel of Judges, in regular proceedings, as is
the case in subpoenas.
"This means that it is a question which has to be decided on a legal,
and not a political level," Granic asserted.
"The Croatian government will do everything to the effect that our
arguments be accepted," the minister added.
The government's Council for cooperation with The Hague tribunal
should convene on Wednesday, while the White Book with all
documents on cooperation so far should be made public on Thursday.
(hina) ha jn