SLAVONSKI BROD, Oct 13 (Hina) - Commenting on a statement of the Hague-based UN tribunal's chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte , who said that she believed that the fugitive general Ante Gotovina was in Croatia, Croatian Premier said
the authorities did not have any information or indication that the retired general was hiding in Croatia.
SLAVONSKI BROD, Oct 13 (Hina) - Commenting on a statement of the
Hague-based UN tribunal's chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte , who
said that she believed that the fugitive general Ante Gotovina was
in Croatia, Croatian Premier said the authorities did not have any
information or indication that the retired general was hiding in
Croatia. #L#
"We do not have any data or indication that Gotovina is in Croatia,
and the government gives assurances that it will check every
credible information, and it will solve the Gen. Gotovina case if it
is possible," Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in the eastern city of
Slavonski Brod on Monday evening when he was asked by reporters to
comment on Del Ponte's speech before the EU ministerial council in
Luxembourg.
Earlier on Monday, Del Ponte told EU foreign ministers, who
convened in Luxembourg, that she and Croatian Premier had different
information on the case. She also expressed satisfaction with the
fact that the Rijeka-based Novi List daily had issued an article
which reads that the fugitive general Ante Gotovina is in Croatia.
The Croatian daily quoted "a well-informed state official, who is
not a government member" as saying that Gotovina is being in central
Dalmatia.
Asked whether it surprised him to see that after a moderate report
which Del Ponte presented before the UN Security Council last
Thursday this kind of news appeared, Racan said that Croatia's
credibility was being undermined in various ways, including the
publishing the sensationalist and unchecked quasi-information as
he said.
It would be better for those who appear in the media from time to
time, to report to police what they have so that the information can
be checked. This would be more patriotic towards Croatia,
particularly in view of the fact that the incumbent government does
not want to let Croatia become hostage to this unsolved case, the
premier added.
He went to say that the government had provided Del Ponte with
information for one period. There was some old information but
there was also some updated information. "We have checked some
indications and data which she gave us (during her visit to Zagreb
on 6 October), and we had them before that, too," Racan explained.
He reiterated that the authorities possessed not one piece if
information or indication that Gotovina was being in Croatia, but,
Racan added that he was always saying for the sake of caution that
this did not mean that he absolutely was not in Croatia.
"I'm referring to data and indication we have checked. The media
write about all sorts of things, and we have the intelligence
underground that is trading with information, half-information and
lies. This poses another question, namely why and for whose
interests they are doing it," Racan said adding that the
information about Gotovina's summer holiday on a yacht was outdated
and was checked by police.
(hina) ms