SCHEFFER: U.S. SATISFIED WITH CROATIA'S EFFORTS IN SAKIC CASE

( Editorial: --> 7169 ) ZAGREB, Aug 31 (Hina) - The United States is very satisfied with the efforts Croatia has made so far in the case of Dinko Sakic, the World War II commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp, US envoy for war crimes David John Scheffer said in Zagreb on Monday. Sakic was extradited by Argentina to be tried in Croatia. During the day, Scheffer held separate talks with Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Justice Minister Milan Ramljak and the Croatian President's chief-of-staff Hrvoje Sarinic. The United States has found a substantial amount of documents on Sakic in its archives, Scheffer said, adding he had given Granic a whole pile of documents which should help the prosecution in organising a fair and just trial of Dinko Sakic. A just, fair and transparent court procedure is the basic aim and we will follow it closely, Scheffer said adding the US government would continue to check its archives and try and help the Croatian authorities when necessary. The talks between the US envoy and Croatian officials also tackled the recent arrest of several Croatian Serbs in the Danube region (indicted by a Croatian court for committing war crimes against civilians) and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Scheffer reiterated the assessment presented yesterday by the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that Croatia was generally cooperating with the ICTY. An important step forward in that cooperation was last year's hand-over of a group of Bosnian Croats to the Hague Tribunal. Scheffer said he was satisfied with the fact that the ICTY's third trial chamber started working in June. The chamber was financed by the United States and the Netherlands and its opening has accelerated the work of the entire court, he added. The US government will insist on bringing to justice three Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) officers who were responsible for the killing of civilians and patients from the Vukovar hospital, and who currently live in Serbia, Scheffer said. (hina) jn rml /mbr 311816 MET aug 98