BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 5395

BELGRADE, July 31 (Hina) - The decision of the UN war crimes tribunalin The Hague to reduce the sentence of Croat general Tihomir Blaskicfrom 45 to nine years can have an indirect impact on the tribunal'sfuture verdicts, since all verdicts passed by the tribunal affect thedevelopment of court practice, law professor Momcilo Grubac from NoviSad said in an interview with Saturday's issue of the Belgrade-based"Danas" daily. US Secretary of State Colin Powell said inSarajevo on Saturday that his country's diplomatic, military and otherpresence in Bosnia-Herzegovina would continue as long as necessary. Lord Paddy Ashdown said in an interview onSaturday that he would continue to perform the duties of the HighRepresentative to Bosnia-Herzegovina until November 2005, six monthsafter the expiry of his current term. In two weeks, the appeals chamber of the UNwar crimes tribunal in The Hague will decide on the possibility togrant provisional