THREE ACQUITTED BOSNIAN CROATS GREETED AT ZAGREB AIRPORT

( Editorial: --> 9940 ) ZAGREB, Dec 20 (Hina) - Three Bosnian Croats - Marinko Katava, Pero Skopljak and Ivan Santic - arrived at Zagreb airport on a regular Croatia Airlines flight from Amsterdam shortly after 13.00 hours on Saturday. They were acquitted of war crimes charges by the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague and released on Friday evening. The three men were met at Pleso airport by Croatian Presidential Home Policy Adviser Ivic Pasalic, National Security Office (UNS) Deputy Chief and Croatian Information Service (HIS) Director Miroslav Tudjman and Bosnian Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic. They were also greeted by their defence attorneys, Petar Pavkovic, Jadranka Slokovic-Glumac and Ivan Kern. Upon arrival in Zagreb, Katava requested of reporters not to refer to people indicted of war crimes as war criminals. "Please, do not do that... especially because of those men who remained behind, because we proved that a mistake can be made and that honest and innocent people can find themselves in The Hague," Katava said. Pasalic and Prlic expressed satisfaction about the return of the three Bosnian Croats, adding that the International Tribunal had gained in credibility because after an objective analysis, decisions were made based on justice and truth. "We believe this is only the beginning of the putting forward of the truth about what happened in Bosnia-Herzegovina in almost four years of war," Prlic said. Katava's defence attorney Pavkovic said Katava would demand satisfaction for psychological harm from those who founded the Tribunal. Skopljak's defence attorney, Jadranka Slokovic-Glumac said she would "demand justice" because the three Croats had been "unfoundedly accused", adding that she would "sue the United Nations at the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg". (hina) vm lm 201722 MET dec 97