Croatian General Arrives in The Hague to Face TrialA retired Croatian general indicted by the International War Crimes tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague arrived in Amsterdam Wednesday from Zagreb, according to a news report reaching here.However, retired general Rahim Ademi, an ethnic Albanian, told reporters before his departure that he was not guilty. Ademi also claimed he went to The Hague voluntarily with a clear conscience, because he did not commit any crime during the civil war between 1991 and 1995. Although the details of the indictment by The Hague have not been revealed, Ademi was reportedly accused of atrocities against at least 38 Serb civilians during a 1993 operation in the area of Medak Pocket. Ademi is one of two Croatians accused by the tribunal in sealed indictments handed to the Croatian government last month. The other one is alleged to be retired general Ante Gotovina, whose whereabouts remains unknown. Croatia's decision early this month to cooperate with the tribunal and extradite the two generals has plunged the country into a political crisis as the ruling coalition collapsed. To protest the decision, Deputy Prime Minister Goran Grantic, Defense Minister Jozo Rados, Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic and Science Minister Hrvoje Hraljevic resigned from the five-party coalition government. Later, parliament passed a confidence vote on Prime Minister Ivica Racan and decided to back the government on its efforts to continue cooperation with The Hague-based tribunal. |
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