SIMONOVIC: WORLD HAS TO PUNISH PERPETRATORS OF CRIMES IN CROATIA ( Editorial: --> 8210 )

( Editorial: --> 8210 ) WASHINGTON, 4 Nov (Hina) - The international community should make more efforts so that all indictees could be brought before the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, said Croatia's Ambassador with the U.N., Ivan Simonovic, warning that the failure to punish crimes committed in Croatia could hamper the process of reconciliation. "The international community has to show more perseverance in implementing the procedure by bringing before the Tribunal those persons it has previously identified" as perpetrators, Simonovic told the U.N. General Assembly on the occasion of the presentation of ICTY President Antonio Cassese's report on the first four years of the ICTY. "There will not be justice until those accused of crimes committed against Croatian citizens are brought before the Tribunal. The human aspect of return of displaced Croatian people to eastern Slavonia, particularly to Vukovar, will be seriously hampered if that is not done," Simonovic said. The Croatian Government program on restoration of trust could be less effective should the ICTY be impeded in fulfilling its obligation, he said. Croatia is not satisfied with the image that was created to the detriment of Croats due to the failure of the international community to bring all war criminals before the Tribunal. Considering the limited means the ICTY has at its disposal, the Tribunal can work only selectively, Simonovic said, adding it was more important to set the priorities as to which crimes and criminals would be tried in The Hague. "Croatia cannot be satisfied completely. The background of persons who have been brought before the Tribunal does not even remotely reflect what had happened during the conflicts. Against all war crimes committed against Croatian citizens..., only five indictments have been issued and only one indictee has been brought before the Tribunal," Simonovic said. "Due to the limited means of the Tribunal, it is up to the international community to do its best so that cases before the Tribunal could equally reflect what had happened," he said. "The situation, as it is now, with Croats making 70% of all detained indictees, serves to creating a seriously distorted picture of conflicts," Simonovic said. (hina) rm 050019 MET nov 97