DATE=1/17/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=WAR CRIMES / ARKAN (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-258144
BYLINE=RON PEMSTEIN
DATELINE=BRUSSELS
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The prosecutor of the international war crimes
tribunal says she is satisfied the man known as
"Arkan" was killed Saturday in Belgrade and is the
same man the tribunal indicted for war crimes.
Correspondent Ron Pemstein reports from Brussels,
where Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte met with reporters.
TEXT: There has been speculation in Belgrade that the
man killed Saturday could have been a double for
Zeljko Raznjatovic, known as Arkan. But War Crimes
prosecutor Carla Del Ponte says she has no doubt her
indictment against Arkan is moot.
/// DEL PONTE ACT ///
I am waiting for our independent information but
what I have received this afternoon is that it
is though Arkan is dead and I regret, because I
would prefer that Arkan can also come to the
Hague for trial.
/// END ACT ///
Serbian police have given no information about the
identity of the killers or what possible motive there
was for killing Arkan and his bodyguards. There have
been reports that Arkan may have been negotiating with
the War Crimes Tribunal to give information about
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, another man
indicted for war crimes, in return for leniency.
In television interviews, Arkan said he would fight
before surrendering to the Hague Tribunal. The War
Crimes prosecutor denies any contacts with Arkan about
President Milosevic.
/// DEL PONTE ACT //
We have no contact with Arkan. Arkan has given
us nothing at all. We are inquiring in this
case without any contribution from Arkan.
/// END ACT ///
Ms. Del Ponte was in Brussels to seek more financial
support from the European Commission. She once again
denies she is seeking an indictment against NATO for
its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.
/// DEL PONTE ACT ///
I am not investigating about NATO. /// OPT ///
I received a complaint about some cases in the
NATO bombing, but I have no jurisdiction about
the intervention at all in this case, about the
intervention of the bombing of NATO because that
is not my jurisdiction. /// END OPT ///
My jurisdiction is violation of humanitarian law
and war crimes. We are just analyzing the
complaint in the information, and the
documentation that we received. That is all,
but no inquiry.
/// END ACT ///
Arkan was secretly indicted by the War Crimes Tribunal
for his involvement in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia,
but the indictment was not made public until after
NATO's bombing started against Yugoslavia last March.
(SIGNED)
NEB/RP/GE/RAE
17-Jan-2000 12:22 PM EDT (17-Jan-2000 1722 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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