Cermak And Markac Before Hague Judges Tomorrow

If the government guarantees are strong enough for Hague to accept them, Cermak and Markac might return to Croatia on Sunday already.

Generals Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac are leaving for the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague today because the Trial Cmahber summoned them to the court room suspending the decree of their liberation.

Although the Globus weekly wrote only about Cermak`s violation of temporary freedom conditions, general Markac was summoned to The Hague as well.

Therefore, tomorrow afternoon at a Status Conference, after they hear their explanations, the judges will decide whether they are to be released from custody because their trial, together with Gotovina`s starts on May 7.

Home on Saturday?

Markac`s attorney Goran Mikulicic believes with Croatian government`s guarantees the generals will again be released to their homes, so the generals would return to Croatian as soon as Saturday, the Vecernji list daily writes.

But, apart from their case, the tribunal will discuss if attorneys Cedo Prodanovic and Miroslav Separovic are in a conflict of interest because the tribunal merged their procedures with the one against Ante Gotovina.

Ante Gotovina`s defence wants Markac`s attorney, Separovic, as a witness, while attorney Prodanovic is representing, apart form Cermak, Rahim Ademi as well, who was directly under Gotovina's comand in the “Storm” military operation.

-I expect the tribunal, as well as Gotovina`s defence, to agree that Separovic is not an “innocent” witness- said attorney Mikulicic.