ICTY Weekly Press Briefing - 1st Mar 2006

Please note that this
is not a verbatim transcript of the Press
Briefing. It is merely a summary.

Date:
01.03.2006

Time: 12:20
p.m.

Registry
and Chambers: Alexandra Milenov, Liaison Officer
for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:

Good afternoon.

The Security
Council yesterday unanimously agreed to amend the Tribunal’s
Statute. Security Council resolution 1660 (2006) permits the
Secretary-General to appoint, at the request of the Tribunal
President, reserve judges from the Tribunal’s pool of ad
litem Judges’ to specific trials. Reserve judges will
be present at each stage of a trial and may replace a judge on
a bench if he or she is unable to continue sitting. This measure
assists the Tribunal in its efforts to complete its work by avoiding
situations in which a specific trial would have to be restarted
if one of the judges on the bench is unable to continue. The
Tribunal is pleased to receive today a delegation from the judiciary
of Serbia and Montenegro for a working visit. Officials from
the War Crimes Chamber of the Belgrade District Court, the Serbian
Supreme Court, the Serbian Prosecutor’s Office and the
Witness Protection Unit will be meeting with Tribunal officials
today through Friday. The Tribunal would like to acknowledge
the support of the US Embassy in Belgrade for facilitating this
visit. The Tribunal remains committed to working in partnership
with local judiciaries in the region to see to it that justice
is done for the victims of war crimes committed in the former
Yugoslavia.

In terms of the
courtroom schedule, the appeals judgement in the case against
former Bosnian Serb army officer, Momir Nikolic will take place
next Tuesday, 7 March at 16:30 in courtroom I. Nikolic pleaded
guilty on 7 May 2003 to crimes committed in Srebrenica, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, in July 1995.
On 2 December 2003, the Trial Chamber sentenced Momir Nikolić to
27 years’ imprisonment for his
involvement in these crimes.

The judgement
in the case against Ivica Marijacic, a journalist and editor-in-chief
of a publication in Croatia, and Markica Rebic, former head of
the Croatian security service, for contempt of the Tribunal will
be read out on 10 March at 8:00.There will be a regular status
conference in the case against Bosnian Army commander Rasim Delic
on Thursday 2 March at 8:00 in courtroom II. There will also
be a regular status conference in the case against nine accused
charged with committing crimes in Srebrenica in 1995 on Tuesday,
7 March at 14:15 in courtroom I. This is the case against Vujadin
Popovic, Ljubisa Beara, Drago Nikolic, Ljubomir Borovcanin, Radivoje
Miletic, Milan Gvero, Vinko Pandurevic, Milorad Trbic and Zdravko
Tolimir, all of whom are in custody with the exception of Zdravko
Tolimir who remains at largeThe trial against Yugoslav Army officers
Mile Mrksic, Miroslav Radic and Veselin Slivancanin continues
this afternoon, and tomorrow and Friday at 9:00 in courtroom
I. It will sit next week Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
at 14:15 in courtroom I and on Tuesday at 9:00 also in courtroom
I. The trial against Milan Martic, a high-level political leader
of the war-time Croatian Serb entity, continues this week on
Thursday and Friday at 14:15 in courtroom I. The trial continues
next week Monday and Wednesday afternoon at 14:15, and Tuesday
morning at 9:00 in courtroom II.

Due to the unavailability
of Defence witnesses next week, the trial against former Yugoslav
and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic will reconvene on Tuesday,
14 March 2006 at 9:00 in courtroom I. The trial against Momcilo
Krajisnik, a former high-level leader of the Bosnian Serb political
entity, will continue next week on Wednesday and Friday at 9:00
in courtroom II and on Tuesday and Thursday, 7 and 9 March at
14:15. The trial against Bosnian Army officer Naser Oric continues
on Thursday 2 March at 9:00.

Office of the
Prosecutor: Florence Hartmann, Spokesperson for the Office
of the Prosecutor, made no statement.

Questions: No questions.Documents: