INDEPENDENT COURT BODY COULD SOLVE JURISDICTION ISSUE -- SEPAROVIC

ZAGREB, Nov 8 (Hina) - Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic expressed Monday conviction that judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) would consent to discussing the jurisdiction dispute between Croatia and the ICTY Prosecutor's Office if they would jointly request the issue to be resolved by an independent court body. The contentious issue regards the tribunal's jurisdiction for investigating Croatian military and police operations "Storm" and "Flash" with which most of Croatia's occupied areas were liberated in 1995. With the aim of resolving the issue, Croatia has suggested to the ICTY that it amend its rules of procedure and evidence, but the ICTY Committee recently postponed a discussion about the Croatian motion. Separovic on Monday sent to the ICTY chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, a letter saying that a postponement of the discussion does not necessarily have to postpone a legal solution on the issue of jurisdiction, the justice Ministry said in a statement Monday. Separovic holds that judges would consent to solving the issue if Croatia and the Prosecutor's Office would "submit a joint motion for the reaching of a final decision by an independent court body". Separovic reiterated it was Croatia's goal for the dispute to be solved by an independent court body. In the letter, Separovic thanked Del Ponte for "constructive talks which will, as he said, would contribute to a positive and productive development of relations between Croatia and the Prosecutor's Office. He expressed satisfaction with the Tribunal's decision to sent an independent team of doctors to examine Mladen Naletilic, whose extradition to the ICTY was postponed by Croatia due to his bad health condition. ICTY's doctors confirmed the opinions of the Croatian doctors' consultation that Naletilic was not well enough to travel to The Hague. (hina) lml jn