CRO JUSTICE MINISTER REQUESTS THAT BLEWITT BE RECALLED - EXTENDED

ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - Croatia requested UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte to recall ICTY deputy prosecutor Graham Blewitt for his inadmissible statements about Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, Croatian Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic told reporters in Zagreb on Friday. "Yesterday we sent a letter to ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte (...) and today we sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (...) and requested that they recall the deputy chief prosecutor," Separovic said. He added he believed the chances for Blewitt's resignation were not great because the issue was in the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, but stressed that Croatia had a moral right to ask for his dismissal. "Blewitt could at least apologise to the Croatian public and President Tudjman," Separovic said. He stressed it had been "a moral obligation to send those letters, because Blewitt made the inadmissible statement that after President Tudjman's death, Croatia's cooperation with the Tribunal would be resumed". "This morbid and callous statement by Mr Blewitt has deeply offended the Croatian government and the Croatian people (...) it is utterly unusual, inappropriate and unprofessional that Mr Blewitt, as an esteemed UN employee, should in his statements speculate on the presumed 'positive' results of the consequences of the death of the elected head of state of a UN member," Separovic says in his letter to Annan. Separovic pointed out it had been the Croatian government, parliament, and the Council for Cooperation with the ICTY which made decisions relative to cooperation with the Tribunal, and that the refusal to comply with some of the Tribunal's demands had not been the result of President Tudjman's personal position alone. The justice minister asserted cooperation with the Tribunal was nevertheless good, and added "the Croatian public even thinks the cooperation is too extensive." Separovic said an initiative had been launched for the release on bail of accused Croats who voluntarily surrendered to the ICTY, or that they at least be released during Advent holidays. "We hope we will succeed in having them released at Christmas time, or permanently released on bail (...) maybe not all of them, but at least some of the accused Croats. There have been such examples, so we expect The Hague Tribunal will have understanding for those people," the justice minister said. Asked how much the bails would amount to and who would pay, Separovic said "that is an issue of the Tribunal, but the return of the accused to trial could be guaranteed by Croatian authorities." (hina) ha/lml mm