BLASKIC'S DEFENCE ASKS THAT WITNESS WATTER'S TESTIMONY BE CHECKED

( Editorial: --> 7163 ) THE HAGUE, 9 Dec (Hina) - General Tihomir Blaskic's defence on Monday sent an official objection to the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) trial chamber, asking that the ignoring of the ICTY rules and regulations by the prosecution be penalised. According to Blaskic's defence, the prosecution presented an incomplete military report of the British battalion of the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR) during the testifying of Lieutenant- Colonel Bryan Watters last month. On 10 and 11 November, during the testifying of witness Watters, deputy commander of the British UNPROFOR battalion in central Bosnia in 1993, the prosecutor presented to the Tribunal summarised military reports of the British UNPROFOR command, from which whole passages, which could be favourable for Blaskic, were erased. Blaskic's defence, Russel Hayman and Anto Nobilo asked that the integral version of a military report which lacked some parts be included in the protocol as evidence, that the prosecution present to the defence all previously presented, but shortened military reports, and that the testimony of Lieutenant-Colonel Watters be annulled or that he be again cross-examined by the defence. The trial chamber is to ask the prosecutor to answer to the objection and then make a decision on the request of Blaskic's defence. (hina) rm 092307 MET dec 97