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Please
note that this is not a verbatim transcript of the Press Briefing. It is merely
a summary.
ICTY Weekly
Press Briefing
Date: 17 March 1999
Time: 11:30 a.m.
REGISTRY AND
CHAMBERS
Today, Jim Landale, the ICTY Spokesman, made the following announcements:
Firstly, to let
you know that we have copies of a press release on the creation of the ICTY
Defence Counsel Association. This is an initiative taken by the defence counsels
themselves, not by the ICTY, although we do welcome the initiative.
In the Blaskic
case: On Friday 19 March, Trial Chamber I will hear Major Stepan Udilijak as
a witness appearing on behalf of the State of Croatia. This is important because
it is the first time that a state is appearing before a Trial Chamber to explain
why its national security reasons would preclude it from complying with the
latest binding orders issued to it by the Trial Chamber. It is not clear at
this stage whether the hearing will be open or closed.
In the Krstic
case, Trial Chamber I ordered the Republika Srpska, and likewise requested the
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to disclose to the Prosecution two documents
which the Trial Chamber found met the criteria set out in the Appeals Chambers
Judgement of 29 October 1997 (the Appeals Chamber Croatia subpoena decision).
In the Celebici
case, the defence for Zejnil Delalic, filed on 12 March "additional
submissions on his motion to sever the appeal of Zejnil Delalic from that of
the other Celebici defendants". The reasons are listed in the motion
and stress among other things that Delalic was acquitted by the Trial Chamber,
whereas the other accused were found guilty.
In the Jelisic
case, there will be a status conference on 18 March, during which the Trial
Chamber will discuss with the parties the charges of Crimes against humanity
and Violations of the laws or customs of war to which the Jelisic has already
pleaded guilty. Originally the Trial Chamber had intended to deal with those
charges after the outcome of the trial on the genocide charge. The Trial Chamber
so decided since it considered that it was unlikely that the entire trial would
be completed soon.
In the Tadic case:
On 15 March, the Appeals Chamber set the time for the commencement of hearings
for the Tadic appeal. They will start at 1400 hrs on Monday 19 April.
In the Bosanski
Samac case: Trial Chamber III on 15 March, dismissed a motion filed by the defence
for Stevan Todorovic to sever "Defendants and Counts".
Copies of all
the documents I have mentioned are available on request, as are the second issue
of the Judicial Supplement and the press release on President McDonalds
departure.
QUESTIONS:
Asked if the
Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) had received a copy of the Finnish forensic
results which would be made public in Pristina today and what value these
results held for the OTP, Mr Graham Blewitt, the Deputy Prosecutor, answered
that he expected to receive a copy later today. He added that the findings
would be incorporated into the material gathered in relation to the Kosovo
investigations.
Asked what
sort of cooperation existed with the Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM), Blewitt
answered that the OTP enjoyed a good relationship with the KVM under Mr William
Walkers leadership, which he hoped would continue in the future.
Asked if the
OTP was aware of television footage showing scenes of villages in Kosovo where
Serbs were burning down houses and shown taking things from houses, and then
waving to the cameras, Blewitt answered that OTP was aware of this and added
that it could provide evidence of looting.
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