RENDEZ VOUS WITH DEL PONTE President: Somone Must Answer For Vukovar Massacre

[CroRadio.net]

http://www.javno.com

RENDEZ VOUS WITH DEL PONTE
President: Somone Must Answer For Vukovar Massacre
Someone must be held rsponsible for Vukovar turning into Stalingrad,
and for the execution of 300 wounded in one day, Mesic told Del Ponte.
J.K./Hina/ photo: archive

The trial of the "Vukovar three", received with indignation in
Croatia, was the topic of today's meeting between the president of
Croatia Stjepan Mesic and the head prosecutor at The Hague Tribunal
Carla del Ponte. together they took part at a conference about the
future of the west Balkans in Brussels, that gathered the
representatives of the countries and regions of the European Union.

Mesic: What must Croatia do for justice to be satisfied?

Mesic said that he spoke to the head prosecutor at The Hague Tribunal
about "that scandalous sentence" and that "they were working out what
Croatia can now do for justice to be satified".

- What we can do is to condemn the three, demand their extradition, or
we can, according to the agreement we have with Serbia, give them all
the evidence connected with the facts that are known to our organs and
demand that Serbia trials them under international monitoring - said
Mesic, adding that he has Del Ponte's support in this.

The Hague Tribunal set out a first degree sentence for the Ovcara
massacre, according to which Mile Mrksic was sentenced to 20 years in
prison, Veselin Sljivancin to five, while Miroslav Radic was freed of
charges.

Del Ponte: Gotovina, Cermanko and Markac's trial will start already
next year.

Stressing how well Croatia is cooperating and that they are an example
for other areas, Carla del Ponte said that the trial of Ante Gotovina,
Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac will start in spring next year.

- Our cooperation with Croatia is excellent, we had access to
documents and witnesses. Gotovina is in The Hague and fortunately he
has not been set free temporarily as it was asked. The Court Council
decided to keep him in detention, so that next year in spring, the
trial of the Gotovina, Cermak and Markac cases will start - Del Ponte
said.

In her reported speech during the press conference, the president of
Croatia marked the inconsistency of the punishment decided for
"Vukovar three".

- Someone must be held responsible for Vukovar turning into
Stalingrad, and for the execution of 300 wounded in one day - Mesic
said.
Published: December 04, 2007 17:03h