CRO GOVERNMENT ADOPTS "WHITE BOOK" ON COOPERATION WITH ICTY

ZAGREB, Sept 2 (Hina) - The Croatian Government on Thursday adopted a report on Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), called the White Book. The document will clearly indicate that it was false to denounce Croatia for not cooperating with the Tribunal, Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic said in Zagreb. He said he had received a decision by the Zagreb County Court approving the extradition of Mladen Naletilic Tuta to the ICTY. The White Book comprises two primary sections. The first explains Croatia's various activities in the discovery and punishment of war crimes, the Constitutional Law on Croatia's cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and a chronology of cooperation with the ICTY. The second section includes articles about the most grievous crimes, information about persons exhumed victims, an overlook of crimes committed during the "Flash" and "Storm" Croatian military and police operations, information about grievous crimes committed during the Homeland War, a chronology of the work of the Office for the Cooperation with the ICTY, Commission for Imprisoned and Missing persons etc. The White Book, Separovic said, proves without a doubt that we have been cooperating with the Hague Tribunal as of day one, even before its founding, and that we provided information to the UN, the Expert Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross from the beginning. The White Book is a powerful document showing that Croatia cooperated thoroughly, seriously and in good faith, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said. He announced the book would be forwarded to the UN Security Council, the Contact Group and the international community. Granic stressed Croatia would continue to seriously cooperate with the Tribunal but protecting its basic interests and principles. Speaking about the Government letter to the Security Council, Granic said it had been accepted well. Our arguments are that we have cooperated thoroughly, that proceedings were underway concerning Naletilic's extradition and that the Government would implement the court's decisions. It is correct that there is disagreement between Croatia and the Hague Tribunal. It cannot be resolved politically, but rather legally, and so we ask that the issue be reinstated from the Security Council to the ICTY into regular procedure, Granic said. (hina) lml