Brammertz still chasing Storm documents

Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz will discuss documents needed for the case against Ante Gotovina with Croatian officials in Zagreb.

Izvor: B92

Thursday, 05.02.2009.

09:49

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Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz will discuss documents needed for the case against Ante Gotovina with Croatian officials in Zagreb. Although the Hague prosecutor ordered delivery of the Croatian Army’s artillery logs as evidence more than a year ago, while Zagreb officials are adamant that the documents either do not exist or were lost. Importantly, the dynamic of Croatia’s EU integration depends on cooperation with the Hague court on this case. Brammertz still chasing Storm documents Artillery logs from Operation Storm have been a bone of contention for months between the Hague and the government in Zagreb. The Hague has been chasing these documents for over a year now, believing them to offer key proof of the excessive shelling of Knin during the offensive that was led by Gotovina. Gotovina, along with Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, was indicted for expelling Serb residents and other crimes during and after Operation Storm. The Hague is now reconsidering Croatian cooperation in the case of Gotovina, says Brammertz, adding that after a year and a half, a large number of documents sought by the prosecution have not yet arrived. An internal investigation in Zagreb about the documents that the Hague ordered has only been partially satisfactory, as they found useful documents about special police, but very little artillery documentation, said Brammertz, speaking to the Financial Times on the eve of his departure for Zagreb. The Croatian government has maintained throughout that many of the sought-after documents do not exist. This is a very sensitive issue in Zagreb as, if the Hague reports cooperation failures to the UN Security Council, the Netherlands will automatically block further Croatian negotiations with the EU. Those negotiations have already been blocked by Slovenia due to the unresolved border dispute and slowed by Brussels, which wants a more decisive clampdown on corruption in Croatia. Serge Brammertz (FoNet, archive)

Brammertz still chasing Storm documents

Artillery logs from Operation Storm have been a bone of contention for months between the Hague and the government in Zagreb. The Hague has been chasing these documents for over a year now, believing them to offer key proof of the excessive shelling of Knin during the offensive that was led by Gotovina.

Gotovina, along with Ivan Čermak and Mladen Markač, was indicted for expelling Serb residents and other crimes during and after Operation Storm.

The Hague is now reconsidering Croatian cooperation in the case of Gotovina, says Brammertz, adding that after a year and a half, a large number of documents sought by the prosecution have not yet arrived.

An internal investigation in Zagreb about the documents that the Hague ordered has only been partially satisfactory, as they found useful documents about special police, but very little artillery documentation, said Brammertz, speaking to the Financial Times on the eve of his departure for Zagreb.

The Croatian government has maintained throughout that many of the sought-after documents do not exist.

This is a very sensitive issue in Zagreb as, if the Hague reports cooperation failures to the UN Security Council, the Netherlands will automatically block further Croatian negotiations with the EU.

Those negotiations have already been blocked by Slovenia due to the unresolved border dispute and slowed by Brussels, which wants a more decisive clampdown on corruption in Croatia.

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