EXTRADITION PROCEDURE FOR SAKIC COULD TAKE A MONTH: AMBASSADOR

( Editorial: --> 0163 ) ZAGREB/BUENOS AIRES, April 28 (Hina) - Croatia's demand to extradite the former Jasenovac concentration camp commander Dinko Sakic has been presented to Argentinian authorities, with the extradition procedure expected to take up to 30 days. Late Monday night Croatia's Ambassador to Argentina, Neda Rosandic-Saric, handed over the extradition request and warrant for Sakic's arrest to the Argentinian Foreign Affairs Ministry. "The (Argentinian) Ministry for Foreign Affairs today handed over documents to the State Attorney," Ambassador Rosandic-Saric told Hina on Tuesday. She believes that during the day the request and warrant could be handed to Hernan Bernasconi, the Federal judge in the city of Dolores in the province of Buenos Aires, who is in charge of the case. After receiving the demand, Judge Bernasconi has the power to issue a warrant for Sakic's arrest. Although an extradition treaty between Croatia and Argentina does not exist, Argentina has accepted Croatia's request. "It is a decision of goodwill between states," Rosandic-Saric said. "I suppose, given the cooperation of the Argentinian government, the procedure should finish relatively quickly," the ambassador said, assessing that the procedure "should not last more than 30 days, maybe even less". She was unable to answer a question on the whereabouts of Sakic. "I presume that the Argentinian police is working on that issue," she said. Ambassador Rosandic-Saric was also unable to confirm media reports that Sakic had abandoned his home in Santa Teresita, 340km south- east of Buenos Aires, where he had lived for the past year. Argentina's largest daily newspaper "La Nacion" wrote on Tuesday that Sakic had left the Santa Teresita area, where local authorities declared him "persona non grata", and it was not known where he was currently located. It was in Santa Teresita where a team of journalists from Argentinian television Canal 13 uncovered Sakic, and he admitted he was once commander of the Jasenovac camp. (Hina) jn mb /lm 281815 MET apr 98