THE HAGUE, Sept 14 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic on Tuesday handed the secretary of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague the White Book by which the Croatian
government argues for trying itself crimes in the Tribunal's jurisdiction.
THE HAGUE, Sept 14 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir
Separovic on Tuesday handed the secretary of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague the
White Book by which the Croatian government argues for trying
itself crimes in the Tribunal's jurisdiction.#L#
We thereby "prove that Croatia, while rejecting ICTY's
jurisdiction in the matters of 'Storm' and 'Flash', is at the same
time trying those who, on the margins of that noble, great, and
historic act which liberated Croatian territory, committed some
criminal acts in the sovereign state of Croatia," Minister
Separovic told reporters after handing the White Book to ICTY
secretary Dorothee de Sampayo Garrido-Nijgh.
Also submitted to the Tribunal's secretariat were rulings against
13 persons who were sentenced and are now imprisoned for crimes
committed during and after the "Storm" operation, the minister
said.
Separovic believes that with the White Book, "we have actually
demonstrated that what was put before the Security Council so soon,
too soon, lacked foundation, that there existed possibilities to
resolve the issue through direct dialogue."
Croatia's justice minister said he hopes the United Nations
Security Council will not make a "sudden decision on introducing
any sanctions until legal matters are resolved."
During talks with secretary Garrido-Nijgh, Separovic conveyed
Croatia's position that The Hague Tribunal has not persisted
sufficiently in persecuting "the big, real culprits" in the 1991-
1995 war against Croatia.
The generals of the former Yugoslav People's Army who committed
crimes from Vukovar to Dubrovnik must be brought before justice,
the Croatian justice minister asserted.
He assessed today's talks with Garrido-Nijgh as very "pleasant and
constructive", as confirmed, he added, by the fact that "the
tribunal's secretary walked me to the tribunal's door."
ICTY president Gabrielle Kirk McDonald in late August reported
Croatia to the UN Security Council for non-cooperation in
investigations into "Storm" and "Flash", the military and police
operations with which Croatia in 1995 liberated parts of its
territory occupied by the Serb aggressor, and for Croatia's failure
to extradite Mladen Naletilic Tuta, accused by The Hague Tribunal
for crimes committed in the Mostar area, southern Bosnia, during
the Croat-Muslim conflict.
Minister Separovic should meet McDonald on Wednesday.
(hina) ha