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ICTY Weekly Press Briefing - 17th Oct 2001

ICTY Press Briefing - 17 October 2001

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


ICTY
Weekly Press Briefing

Date: 17 October 2001

Time: 11:30 a.m.





REGISTRY
AND CHAMBERS

Jim Landale, Spokesman for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:




On
11 October 2001, Momcilo Krajisnik filed a notice for leave to appeal Trial
Chamber III’s decision to deny him provisional release, which was handed down
on 8 October. Copies of that document will be available after this briefing.



In
the Galic case, following an order from Trial Chamber I, the Office of the Prosecutor
has to file its final pre-trial brief by 23 October 2001. A provisional pre-trial
brief was filed on 20 February.



In
the Naletilic and Martinovic case, on 16 October 2001, Trial Chamber I, Section
A, granted the Prosecutor’s motion to amend the amended indictment, filed on
28 September that clarifies that Martinovic is not charged in counts 9, 10,
19, 20 and 22.



On
16 October 2001, Dragoljub Kunarac was denied provisional release because the
Appeals Chamber found that he had not satisfied the conditions of Rule 65 of
the Rules of Procedure and Evidence.



We
have now received copies of the second amended indictment in the Stakic case,
which will be available to you on request.



Also,
just to confirm that notices of appeal have been filed for all three accused
in the Celebici case. Copies of those notices of appeal will be available after
this.



A
reminder that the Kupreskic Appeals Judgement will be handed down on 23 October
at 1.30 p.m. You are all of course welcome to attend.



In
terms of upcoming status conferences:



On
Thursday a status conference will be held in the Kordic and Cerkez case at 10.00
a.m. A status conference in the Blaskic case will be held at 3 p.m. the same
day. On Friday, a status conference will be held in the Obrenovic case at 2.30
p.m.



Last
week, two conferences were held in Bosnia dealing with OTP Rules of the Road
issues. Both events in Sarajevo and Banja Luka attracted around 150 judges,
prosecutors and senior police investigators dealing with war crimes cases. Both
events were a success. The events were sponsored by the Peace and Stability
Fund of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
and organised by the
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Republika Srpska, supported and coordinated
by ICTY Outreach.



Finally,
a visit of senior legal professionals from Kosovo to the Tribunal in The Hague
is taking place between today and Friday 19 October 2001.



The
visit has also been supported by the Peace and Stability Fund of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
as part of a series of Tribunal-related events
for 2001 that have been arranged by ICTY Outreach. The visit is organised by
ICTY Outreach and the Prishtina-based Council for the Defence of Human Rights
and Freedoms (CDHRF).



The
group is composed of 10 legal professionals operating in Kosovo. They have all,
at differing levels, involvement in war crimes issues and cases. Ten members
of the group are ethnic Albanians and two are ethnic Serbs.


 




OFFICE OF THE
PROSECUTOR


Florence Hartmann, Spokeswoman for the Office of the Prosecutor, made the following
statement:




The
Prosecutor will visit Belgrade next Monday and Podgorica next Tuesday. The final
schedule is not yet complete and I will not give details at the moment apart
from the fact that it is a working visit on the issue of cooperation. The OTP
is going there in order to obtain better cooperation. Yesterday the Office of
the Prosecutor filed a document signed by the Prosecutor which, if it is confirmed
by the judges, will be the third version of the indictment against Milosevic
and others for Kosovo. This is the second time this indictment has been amended.
I cannot give details until, if confirmed, the document becomes a formal document.


 



QUESTIONS:




Asked for
details of what would be discussed during the visit to Belgrade and Podgorica,
Hartmann replied that she would not give details about the visit and would
not explain publicly what would be said to the people there. It would be a
working official visit during which the OTP would discuss cooperation, which
included access to witnesses, archives and the arrest and transfer to The
Hague of all indictees.


Asked to
describe the cooperation the OTP was receiving from Montenegro, Hartmann replied
that she had no comment at the moment.


Asked if
this would be the final amendment made to the Kosovo indictment, Hartmann
replied it would be the last version unless the OTP gained access to completely
new facts.


Asked what
type of cooperation the OTP was receiving from the Albanian side with regard
to investigations in Kosovo, Hartmann replied that she would have to check.
The OTP had an ongoing investigation for which it needed the cooperation of
all sides.


*****