Del Ponte to receive “Storm” video

Del Ponte to receive “Storm” video

According to announcements, Deputy Prosecutor Dragoljub Stanković will be meeting with Del Ponte in The Hague today to give her the video footage of the civilian victims. The Hague Tribunal could not confirm whether this video already exists within its archive of evidence.

Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Dragan Jočić called his colleagues in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina yesterday and asked them to react in the same way in which they reacted when the footage of Serbian soldiers killing young men in Srebrenica surfaced; in other words, to identify and arrest those responsible for the crimes documented in the Storm footage as well.

The footage can be seen in real video format here (32.7mb), and in avi format here (1.45mb).

Croatian soldiers not responsible

Croatian Government spokesperson Ratko Maček said that the video clearly shows that the perpetrators in the footage were not Croatian soldiers.

“The footage without doubt confirms that there are no members of the Croatian military in it. It shows clearly that this footage was taken somewhere in Bosnia and is already now to the public.” Ratko Maček told Croatian internet newssite indeks.hr.

Croatian Internal Affairs Minister Zlatko Mehun said that the footage has been forwarded to the state prosecutor’s office.  

“If this proves to be evidence of a punishable act, it will be processed, just as it has been done up until now, regardless of ethnicity.” Mehun said.

Tadić expects reactions

Serbian President Boris Tadić said that he expects Croatian officials to condemn the war crimes documented on the Operation Storm videotape.

“I am demanding from all the political structures in Serbia and the regional structures to condemn the war crimes, because this is a prerequisite for implementing normal and good neighbourly relations” Tadić said after meeting with the Russian Minister for Emergency Situations Sergei Sojgu.