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Conferenza Tribunale internazionale
Partito Radicale Michele - 1 settembre 1999
NYT/ICTY/Court To Decide on Croat Extradition

The New York Times

September 1, 1999

Court To Decide on Croat Extradition

By The Associated Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- A Croat charged with atrocities against Muslims in Bosnia appeared today before a Zagreb court that must decide whether to extradite him to The Hague or try him in Croatia.

The extradition hearing for Mladen Naletilic ended this afternoon. A written decision could come as late as next week.

Naletilic, 52, is at the center of a dispute between Croatia and the United Nations. In December, the U.N. War Crimes tribunal indicted him on 17 counts of war crimes allegedly committed during the Bosnian conflict.

But Croatia also has charged him with various offenses -- including kidnapping, assault and inciting murder -- and it insists it has the right to try him first. That has angered the tribunal, and the U.N. Security Council is expected to consider sanctions against Croatia for non-compliance.

Authorities say Naletilic -- also known by his nom de guerre, ``Tuta'' -- was a major criminal figure in the city of Mostar. During the Bosnian war, he headed the so-called ``Convicts' Brigade,'' which has been accused of some of the most brutal massacres of Muslims in southwestern Bosnia in 1993-94.

Naletilic has insisted he is innocent.

``If defending the homeland is a crime, than I'm guilty,'' he said. ``If it isn't, I'm not guilty.''

Croatia has had Naletilic in custody since 1997. For months, it has refused to extradite him, insisting that his ongoing trial here -- which could take months more -- should end first. It also says he is seriously ill and therefore unfit to stand trial in The Hague.

The refusals have angered the tribunal's president, Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, who last week formally complained to the Security Council.

The threat of sanctions apparently worked, and there are indications the government is now ready to hand over Naletilic.

At today's hearing, Naletilic's attorney, Kresimir Krsnik, apparently made reference to the sanctions threat when he exhorted the court ``not to be affected by politics.'' He also disputed The Hague tribunal's authority to seek Naletilic's extradition before his case here has been resolved.

Court-appointed doctors testified that Naletilic suffers from angina and other unspecified coronary diseases. But he attended the session.

Croatian newspapers quoted unidentified government officials as suggesting that the extradition process will probably drag on as long as legally possible.

It is widely believed here that Naletilic's testimony would be damaging for senior government figures. He is believed to have been close to the late Defense Minister Gojko Susak, and through him other top officials in Zagreb.

 
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