ICTY REQUESTS YUGOSLAVIA TO DEFER "VUKOVAR CASE"

THE HAGUE, Dec 15 (Hina) - The International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has officially requested from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to defer the proceedings instituted against three officers of the former Yugoslav People's Army, indicted for organising the killing of about 260 patients (civilians and soldiers) from the hospital in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar in 1991. The procedure against "unidentified perpetrators" of this crime was instituted by the Yugoslav Military Court in Belgrade, which held a hearing of Mile Mrksic, Veselin Sljivancanin and Miroslav Radic as witnesses. ICTY Prosecutor Louise Arbour said on December 3 she doubted the objectivity of the Belgrade court proceedings, adding that their aim was to protect the three officers from international criminal responsibility. The ICTY Trial Chamber also warned that the Tribunal had a priority over national courts, that international arrest warrants for the three officers existed and that the FRY had failed to demonstrate its willingness for cooperation with the ICTY. (hina) it jn/rml