SIMONOVIC: SECURITY COUNCIL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ICTY'S PERFORMANCE

NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Hina) - Croatia's Ambassador to the United Nations Ivan Simonovic on Thursday addressed the U.N. General Assembly in regard to a report on the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). In his speech, Simonovic especially warned of the fact that so far the Tribunal had not indicted anyone for crimes targeted specifically against Bosnian Croats. "This deficiency seriously undermines the very objectives of the Tribunal: justice, a truthful account of what took place during the conflict, and ultimately, healing and reconciliation", he noted mentioning 14 documented cases which happened between May 1992 and January 1994, in which Croats were the victims. Due to the magnitude of the crimes committed, time constraints and the security of other resources available to the Tribunal, it cannot prosecute all of the numerous perpetrators of war crimes. "Therefore, if a selective approach is unavoidable, the cases brought before the Tribunal must at least be representative. "For both moral and political reasons and for historical record, they have to reflect the extent and the level of involvement of the various sides in the war crimes committed by the exercise of prosecutorial discretion". Responsibility for the efficient work of the Tribunal lies with the U.N. Security Council and the Council has so far failed to show determination to support the ICTY with more energetic measures, the Croatian ambassador noted. Simonovic said he was encouraged by the recent decision of the Security Council to adopt the resolution under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter in regard to the failure of Belgrade authorities and their persistent refusal to hand over three JNA officers responsible for crimes committed against soldiers and civilians at the Vukovar hospital. This "reflects the new commitment of the Council to protect the authority and credibility of the Tribunal and of the Council itself", Simonovic said. (hina) mm rml