CRO STATE ATTORNEY COMMENTS ON YUGOSLAVIA'S BRINGING CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST SAKIC

CHARGES AGAINST SAKIC ( Editorial: --> 6565 ) ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - Commenting on the initiating of criminal charges against former commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp, Dinko Sakic, by the Yugoslav state attorney, Croatian State Attorney Marijan Hranjski said that Sakic's extradition should be preceded by the formal and legal initiating of proceedings and that criminal charges did not represent a valid request for extradition. Certain formal and legal preconditions have to be met if the request for extradition is to be carried out, Hranjski said in Monday night's Croatian Television news broadcast "Motrista", adding that those preconditions were an indictment, a conviction, a decision on detention or some other act equal to that decision. The act of the Yugoslav state attorney "is not in line with the bilateral agreement on extradition or any other convention on extradition and it does not represent a valid request for extradition," Hranjski said. He added that Croatia's judicial bodies were formally instituting proceedings which would meet all formal conditions for extradition. (hina) rm 141050 MET apr 98