TRIBUNAL IN THE HAGUE REQUESTS BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA TO PROVISIONALLY

PROVISIONALLY $ ARREST SERB OFFICERS THE HAGUE, Feb 7 (Hina) - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Richard Goldstone, on Wednesday issued a request to the Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina to arrest provisionally, on behalf of the Tribunal, two suspects, officers of the Bosnian Serb Forces, and to take all measures to prevent their escape, a statement from the Tribunal said. #L# The two suspects are General Djordje Djukic and Colonel Aleksa Krsmanovic, the statement said. In terms of Article 29 of the Statute of the Tribunal, the Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina "is obliged to comply with the request of the Prosecutor who has made the request in the light of information given to him concerning the activities of both persons who are regarded as suspects in connection with the commision of crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal", the statement said. Consideration would be given in the coming days to similar requests made in respect of other persons who had been arrested by the Bosnian authorities during the past few days, the statement added. "In terms of international law, particularly the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions, all States are obliged to investigate and bring to trial persons who have commited serious violations of international humanitarian law," the statement said. Since the Tribunal had the primacy of jurisdiction before national courts, the Prosecutor would consider whether to indict General Djukic and Colonel Krsmanovic before the Tribunal. If he decided to do so, he would request from the Government of Bosnia- Herzegovina to defer its investigations to the Tribunal, the statement said. (hina) lm jn 071842 MET feb 96