ZAGREB, Oct 23 (Hina) - The annual report of the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Croatia's cooperation with the ICTY, which was forwarded to the General Assembly and the U.N.
Security Council, is surprising and disappointing, Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic told Hina and Croatian Television (HTV) on Saturday.
ZAGREB, Oct 23 (Hina) - The annual report of the President of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
on Croatia's cooperation with the ICTY, which was forwarded to the
General Assembly and the U.N. Security Council, is surprising and
disappointing, Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic told
Hina and Croatian Television (HTV) on Saturday. #L#
In the report, ICTY President Gabrielle Kirk McDonald stated, among
other things, that Croatia had failed to meet some requests of the
ICTY Prosecution.
"We have every reason to express our deep dissatisfaction with such
a report", Separovic said, stressing the report contained no
evidence as to Croatia's non-cooperation, lacking at the same time
information on instances of Croatia's cooperation with the ICTY.
Separovic said his ministry still did not have the full version of
the report and considered it almost impossible that the report
contained nothing which would be in favour of Croatia's cooperation
with the Tribunal. However, should this be true, the "report will be
considered a forgery".
"We fear that the ICTY is still a means of political pressure
against Croatia", said Separovic, stating as examples "the
Tribunal's unbalanced policy of prosecution, its failure to
prosecute major criminals and crimes committed against Croats, as
well as its insistence on evidence which goes beyond all limits".
"The ICTY President disputes that we cooperate regardless of the
fact that we have extradited Vinko Martinovic-Stela and completed
all proceedings against Mladen Naletilic-Tuta at breakneck speed,
and that we agree to international medical arbitration", he said.
Separovic insists that in its White Paper on cooperation with the
ICTY, Croatia has published hundreds of cases of its cooperation
with the ICTY. "The most drastic examples are: the adoption of a
Constitutional Law allowing the extradition of Croatian citizens,
although this is contrary to constitutional principles; the
opening of an office for cooperation with the Hague Tribunal;
submitting thousands of documents; extraditing or helping in the
extradition of more than 12 persons. What is the problem now?",
Separovic said.
ICTY President McDonald objects in her report that some Croatian
state officials, including the Premier and the Foreign Minister,
have given statements "that seem designed deliberately to
disseminate misinformation concerning the work and the objectives
of the Tribunal". She also finds it regrettable that the Croatian
parliamentary debate on conclusions regarding the cooperation with
the ICTY was not more reasoned and mature.
"We want to know what gives the ICTY President the right to
criticise the Premier and the Government and the Croatian National
Sabor, who only established that Croatia's expectations regarding
the prosecution of criminals by the Prosecution and the ICTY, in
line with the principle of justice, have not been met. It would not
be surprising for the Sabor to react to this insult", Separovic
added.
Croatia has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the
Hague Tribunal, but "its cooperation will not go beyond the limits
of tolerance, or be against the principles of sovereignty and be to
the detriment of one's own national interests and security",
Separovic said.
He concluded his statement by saying ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla
del Ponte would be visiting Croatia in early November and expressed
belief that the assessment of the ICTY President could be altered.
"We believe that there will be no sanctions by the U.N. Security
Council because there is no reason for them", the Justice Minister
said.
(hina) rml,