U.S. WILLING TO GUARANTEE FAIR TRIAL FOR BH CROATS - GRANIC

SAMOBOR, Oct 1 (Hina) - The United States is ready to guarantee a fair trial to Bosnian Croats from the so called Vitez group to begin within three to five months in The Hague, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic told members of the Croatian Association of Catholic Businessmen in Samobor on Wednesday. "Now things are developing in such a way that the U.S. is willing to issue a statement by which it will guarantee a fair trial within three to five months before their departure (to The Hague)", Granic said, adding intense negotiations on the matter are in course. The foreign minister did not want to say when the U.S. should issue the statement, nor when the accused Bosnian Croats should go to The Hague. Members of the so called group from Vitez, a town in central Bosnia-Herzegovina, recently announced they were ready to be turned over to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague of their own free will, on condition they received guarantees of a fair trial which would begin in three, four months time. Croatia has represented their interests before the international community, and the U.S. as its determining factor in particular, in an attempt to find through negotiations a fair solution acceptable to all sides. Their surrender or voluntary turnover to The Hague tribunal is the U.S. basic demand, which resulted in the latest, strong pressure on Croatia. "The pressures are enormous", Granic said in relation to the latest course of events in Croatia's relations with the U.S. Through talks with the U.S, Croatia will find both for the Bosnian Croats from Vitez and the U.S. a dignified exit from the latest crisis, caused by the issue of the Vitez Bosnian Croats' turnover to The Hague, the foreign minister said. At the moment, Granic added, the U.S. strongly persists on a full implementation of the Dayton Accord, and requests Croatia to fully exert its influence on Croats in BH, especially in relation to cooperation with The Hague tribunal. The so called Vitez group had good prospects to prove their innocence, he concluded. (hina) ha jn 012129 MET oct 97