HAGUE TRIBUNAL DOES NOT INTEND TO GIVE UP KARADZIC TRIAL - IVANKO

- IVANKO $ SARAJEVO, Aug 7 (Hina) - The international war crimes tribunal in The Hague had not received any official request of Bosnian Serb Radovan Karadzic, or his attorney, to have a trial before local courts on the territory+ of the Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, UN spokesman Aleksandar Ivanko told reporters in Sarajevo on Thursday. Speaking on behalf The Hague tribunal, Ivanko said the tribunal regarded reports on Karadzic's alleged request to be tried in Republika Srpska as propaganda. German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung wrote, and some news agencies reported, that Karadzic, charged with war crimes, had allegedly expressed readiness to answer the charges before a local court. Neither Karadzic nor anyone else on his behalf contacted us officially with such a request, said Ivanko, adding he did not know The Hague tribunal would be willing to leave this trial to any other court. The bill of inditement had been filed with the international war crimes tribunal, Ivanko said, and Karadzic must answer before that tribunal. Media reports on the still influential Bosnian Serb leader's request appeared shortly after Bosnian Serb representative in the BH Presidency Momcilo Krajisnik asked the international community that trials against Bosnian Serbs charged with war crimes be carried out in Republika Srpska, and that The Hague tribunal be turned into some sort of advisory body whose representatives would only supervise the said trials. This request has so far been completely ignored. (hina) ha 071356 MET aug 97