CROATIAN JUSTICE MINISTER HOLDS TALKS WITH ICTY CHIEF PROSECUTOR

ZAGREB, Nov 4 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic on Thursday submitted detailed documents about Serb attacks on Vukovar and Dubrovnik and indictment motions against six of the most responsible people for the attacks on these Croatian towns to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte. Documents and indictment motions for the former mayor of Trebinje (south Bosnia-Herzegovina), Bozidar Vucerevic, and a former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) general, Pavle Strugar, for attacks on Dubrovnik, and generals Zivota Panic, Blagoje Adzic and Veljko Kadijevic for crimes in Vukovar, as well as Serb paramilitary leader Vojislav Seselj. Separovic told a news conference that during talks with Carla Del Ponte, he had criticised the ICTY Prosecution for unequal prosecution policies and issuing of indictments. "The main culprits for Vukovar have not yet been indicted, not one Moslem has been indicted for crimes against Croats in Bosnia- Herzegovina," Separovic said. Although the talks were "frank and open", there were "difficulties and differences" in our stances, he said. The biggest differences were in the issues of ICTY jurisdiction over the "Storm" and "Flash" military and police operations. We cannot and will not allow legitimate actions of liberating our territory to become problems and crimes," Separovic said, adding that the Croatian Government did not deny that individual criminal acts had happened during these operations, for which some have been sentenced, and many processed. "Under international law we have well founded arguments for our stances," Separovic said. He added "our generals who are heroes in the eyes of our people and who performed the historic task of liberating our territory cannot be accused". Separovic said Croatia would continue to insist for the issue of ICTY jurisdiction over the two operations to be discussed before the international court of justice or an ICTY trial chamber. He said during talks Del Ponte had firmly insisted on the stance that the ICTY had authority over the operations. He added that he had asked her to stress that Croatia did not concur with this stance when she reports to the UN Security Council on November 8. Separovic hailed the opinion of Dutch doctors who examined Mladen Naletilic Tuta and confirmed that he was not at the present time well enough to travel to The Hague. He also said he had expressed dissatisfaction with the slowness of proceedings before the ICTY and suggested that some of the indicted be released on bail. (hina) lml