ZAGREB, June 27 (Hina) - Documents and video tapes of Croatian intelligence services, recently forwarded to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) prosecutor, should accelerate the investigation and
indictments of war crimes, committed by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and paramilitary forces in the southern Croatian Dubrovnik region, Croatian Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic told a press conference on Tuesday. He stressed that an investigation, started in 1996, was put on hold due to the failure of the former Government to cooperate. He added that ICTY prosecutor Carla Del Ponte promised him that the investigation would be accelerated and indictments of crimes committed in southern Croatia would be issued. Ivanisevic reiterated he received a firm promised that the Hague Tribunal would withdraw a report to the Security Council on the failure of
ZAGREB, June 27 (Hina) - Documents and video tapes of Croatian
intelligence services, recently forwarded to the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) prosecutor,
should accelerate the investigation and indictments of war crimes,
committed by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and paramilitary
forces in the southern Croatian Dubrovnik region, Croatian Justice
Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic told a press conference on Tuesday.
He stressed that an investigation, started in 1996, was put on hold
due to the failure of the former Government to cooperate. He added
that ICTY prosecutor Carla Del Ponte promised him that the
investigation would be accelerated and indictments of crimes
committed in southern Croatia would be issued.
Ivanisevic reiterated he received a firm promised that the Hague
Tribunal would withdraw a report to the Security Council on the
failure of the Croatian authority to cooperate with the ICTY.
He denied claims that the doors to secret archives were open to the
Hague investigators, and stressed the documents had been handed
over in line with a precisely determined procedure, and there was no
danger of misuse of the documents.
Ivanisevic told reporters that his Ministry would forward to the
Sabor procedure this autumn a bill of amendments to the law on the
State Judicial Council (DSV), law on the State Attorney's Office
and law on courts.
Deputy Justice Minister Ranko Marijan pointed to a decision of the
Constitutional Court which cancelled the DSV's authority to
appoint and relieve from the duty presidents of courts. He stressed
that the draft of the new law on the DSV proposed that presidents of
courts be appointed by the Minister at the proposal of judges.
In line with that motion, presidents of courts would no longer be
members of the DSV.
Conditions for the appointment to the duty of judges would be more
strict. In line with that, candidates for municipal court judges
should have at least four years of work experience in judiciary.
Merchant court judges should have at least six years of experience,
county court judges must have at least 10 years of experience and
judges of the Supreme Court should have at least 15 years of
experience.
In line with the motion of the Ministry, all judges appointed in
accordance with the current law should remain on their duties. This
is a proof that the Ministry is not implementing purges by the new
law, he concluded.
(hina) it jn