Please
note that this is not a verbatim transcript of the Press Briefing. It is merely
a summary.
ICTY Weekly
Press Briefing
Date: 17.07.2003
Time: 11:30
REGISTRY AND
CHAMBERS
Jim Landale, Spokesman for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good morning,
As you can see there
is no one to represent the Office of the Prosecutor today.
The 29th Plenary
Session of the Judges is taking place today. They will be discussing a range
of different issues and are expected to approve the draft Annual Report for
2002 – 2003, as well as discuss proposed new amendments to the Tribunal’s Rules
of Procedure and Evidence. I will of course update you on any developments.
Among the court documents
we have received since the last briefing, the following are brought to your
attention:
In the Appeals Chamber:
On 15 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Nikola Sainovic and Dragoljub Ojdanic, we received an "Order"
from a Bench of the Appeals Chamber (Judge Shahabuddeen, presiding, Judges Pocar
and Guney), in which the Bench ordered that "General Ojdanic’s Appeal
from Decision on Motion Challenging Jurisdiction and Motion for Extension of
Time to File Opening Brief" remain suspended until further order from
the Bench.
On 16 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Enver Hadzihasanovic, Mehmed Alagic and Amir Kubura, we received from
the Appeals Chamber (Judge Meron, Presiding, Judges Pocar, Shahabuddeen, Hunt
and Guney) the "Decision on Interlocutory Appeal Challenging Jurisdiction
in Relation to Command Responsibility", in which the Appeals Chamber
unanimously dismissed the appeal insofar as it related to the first ground of
appeal, and allowed it, by majority (Judge Shahabuddeen and Judge Hunt dissenting),
insofar as it related to the second ground of appeal. Judge Shahabuddeen appended
a partial dissenting opinion and Judge Hunt appended a separate and partially
dissenting opinion.
In the Trial Chambers:
On 9 July in The Prosecutor
v. Zeljko Meakic, Momcilo Gruban, Dusan Fustar and Dusko Knezevic, we received
Trial Chamber III’s "Order Postponing Pre-Trial Conference",
in which the Trial Chamber cancelled the pre-trial conference scheduled for
23 July 2003 and scheduled a status conference before the pre-trial Judge commencing
at 3 p.m. on the same day.
On 11 July in the same case,
we received Trial Chamber III’s "Decision on Defendant Dusan Fustar’s
Emergency Motion Seeking A Temporary Provisional Release to Attend the 40-Day
Memorial of His Father’s Death", in which the Trial Chamber granted
the Motion subject to the necessary arrangements being made with the Registrar
and subject to certain specific terms and conditions set out in the Decision.
On 15 July in The Prosecutor
v. Mile Mrksic, Miroslav Radic and Veselin Sljivancanin, we received Trial
Chamber II’s "Decision Granting Radic’s Motion to Postpone Decision
on Provisional Release".
On 16 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala and Isak Musliu, we received the Trial Chamber’s
"Decision to Invite the Special Representative of the Secretary General
to Submit a Statement", in which the Trial Chamber invited "Mr.
Michael Steiner to provide to the Chamber, if he so wishes, a statement on his
knowledge, if any, of facts potentially relevant for the Chamber’s assessment
of the risk that the Accused would evade Justice or pose any danger to any witness,
victim or other person and to do so, if possible, before Friday 25 July 2003".
On 16 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Nikola Sainovic and Dragoljub Ojdanic, we received from Trial Chamber
III a "Decision on Defence Request for Certification of Appeal Against
the Decision of the Trial Chamber on Motion for Additional Funds",
in which the Trial Chamber granted the application for certification on appeal.
In terms of other court
documents:
On 11 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Nikola Sainovic and Dragoljub Ojdanic, we received "General Ojdanic’s
Request for Certification to Appeal Decision on Motion for Additional Funds".
On 11 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Sefer Halilovic, we received the "Registry Comments on Defence
Motion Concerning Financial Problems".
On 14 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Slobodan Milosevic, we received the "Amicus Curiae Submissions
on the Law of Self-Defence as Stipulated in Parts (B) and (C) of the Order of
the Chamber to the Amicus of 11 December 2002".
On 14 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Milan Martic, we received the "Prosecution’s Motion to File Amended
Indictment Pursuant to Trial Chamber’s Decision on Preliminary Motion Against
the Amended Indictment".
On 14 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez, we received "Cerkez’s Reply to
Prosecution’s 4 July Submission".
On 14 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Momir Nikolic, we received "Momir Nikolic’s Sentencing Brief".
On 14 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Mladen Naletilic and Vinko Martinovic, we received the "Appeal
Brief of the Prosecution".
On 14 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Vidoje Blagojevic and Dragan Jokic, we received "Mr. Jokic’s
Motion to Exclude Statements and Response to Prosecution’s Motion for Clarification
of Oral Decision Regarding Admissibility of Statements".
On 14 July in The Prosecutor
v. Mile Mrksic, Miroslav Radic and Veselin Sljivancanin, we received Sljivancanin’s
"Appeal Regarding Choice of Legal Representation".
On 16 July, in The Prosecutor
v. Naser Oric, we received the "Submission of Amended Indictment".
Copies of all the documents
I have mentioned are available to you on request.
Questions:
A journalist
asked for a comment on an article which was published in Vecernje List in Zagreb
stating that the lawyer Ante Nobilo at one time supplied the editor-in-chief
of Vjesnik, Mr. Mesic’s statement to the ICTY investigators as part of their
investigation against General Blaskic. Landale replied that the Registry was
aware of these reports and was looking into the matter. He added that all reports
of this kind would be taken very seriously.
*****
|