KUPRESKIC WON'T APPEAR BEFORE COURT FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS - ATTORNEY

- ATTORNEY ( Editorial: --> 9988 ) THE HAGUE, 21 Dec (Hina) - Vlatko Kupreskic, who was put in the detention centre of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) last Thursday, is in hospital, which is part of the detention centre, said attorney Goran Mikulicic on Saturday. Mikulicic temporarily represented Kupreskic following his arrival in The Hague. Quoting a doctor from the hospital, Mikulicic said that Kupreskic would not be able to appear before the court for at least two weeks, to hear his indictment officially read out. The ICTY handed to Kupreskic a copy of his indictment on Friday and read him his rights. Kupreskic is now to choose his defence, Mikulicic said. During his arrest by the Stabilisation Force troops, Kupreskic received three wounds and underwent surgery in a hospital in Tuzla. Together with seven other persons, Kupreskic is charged with severe violations of the Geneva Conventions and the law and customs of war. They are also indicted with an unjustified attack on the civilian population of the village of Ahmici and the destruction of Muslim houses. Kupreskic was born in 1958. He lived in Ahmici. According to his indictment, on 16 April 1993, several units of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) gathered in Kupreskic's house, from where they set out to attack the village. Kupreskic is charged with the murder of Fata Pezer and the wounding of other two civilians while they were trying to escape. (hina) rm 211128 MET dec 97