DEL PONTE HANDS OVER ARREST WARRANTS TO YUGO JUSTICE MINISTER

BELGRADE, Jan 24 (Hina) - The UN war crimes court's Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte on Wednesday handed over warrants for arrest of some citizens of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) to Yugoslav Justice Minister Momcilo Grubac, the federal information ministry said in a statement this evening. The statement did not cite the names of indictees whose apprehension was requested in the papers produced by del Ponte, but added that the indictments in question "have previously been made public and forwarded to Yugoslav authorities." The statement, released after the del Ponte-Grubac meeting, read that the two interlocutors attached particular attention to the creation of legal prerequisites for the full co-operation between Belgrade and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Grubac notified the Tribunal Chief Prosecutor of restrictions in the cooperation caused by certain articles of the Yugoslav penal code, particularly by segments referring to impossibility for the extradition of Yugoslav nationals. According to the statement, Minister Grubac envisaged that "hindrances could be removed by the adoption of a special law on the cooperation with the ICTY." Prior to del Ponte's arrival in Belgrade, Justice Minister advocated the arrest and extradition of ICTY indictees to The Hague, but other senior officials described it as "his personal rather than official stand." (hina) ms