BH FEDERATION PRESIDENT FORWARDS LETTER TO ICTY - STATEMENT

SARAJEVO, Feb 27 (Hina) - The President of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kresimir Zubak, on Thursday informed the president of the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Antonio Cassese, that Vasvija Vidovic was not authorized to represent the interests of the Bosnian Federation before that court, the Bosnian Federation President's Office said in a statement. In his letter to Cassese, Zubak pointed out he had found out through the media following the ICTY's work that Vasvija Vidovic appeared as the name of the representative (liaison officer) between the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Hague Tribunal. The institutions of authority of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bosnia-Herzegovina had not appointed Vasvija Vidovic as the liaison officer with the ICTY, the letter further said, adding that Vidovic was therefore not authorized to represent the interests of the BH Federation and BH before the court. In his letter, Zubak also said that he had received informal information that Vidovic was an employee of what was formerly the state's security service, which had in the meantime become the Research and Documentation Agency. This agency did not act within the Constitution, the statement concluded. (hina) ha jn 271509 MET feb 97