Grotic: New evidence to back genocide suit against Serbia

THE HAGUE - Head of the Croatian legal team Vesna Crnic-Grotic said on Monday that Croatia will present its evidence during the hearing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, which will include some new materials to support the claim that Serbia committed genocide in its territory in the period from 1991 to 1995.

Accusing former president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic of leadership in crimes which the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) as the army of dissolved SFRY committed on behalf of Serbia, Crnic-Grotic said that Croatia will demonstrate how JNA turned from the army tasked with protecting Yugoslavia into an accomplice of Milosevic's intentions.

The incumbent government in Belgrade did not demonstrate the willingness to disown crimes which Serbia committed in the past, Crnic-Grotic said elaborating on Croatia's decision to demand that justice be served before the ICJ and noting that the fact that the prosecutor did not individually accuse anyone for genocide does not mean it did not happen.

During the presentation before the Court, the video was played which depicts 1991 conflicts in Vukovar and points to Serbia's intentions to destroy Croats in the city with the help of JNA.

Later in the week, the Croatian legal team will present to the Court the crimes committed in Lovas, Vukovar and other parts of Croatia which aimed to set up a 'Greater Serbia'.

We will be guided by written documents but we will present new evidence materials and new information on mass graves discovered over the past 15 years, she said.

ICJ President Judge Peter Tomka delivered a brief presentation of the course of the dispute between Serbia and Croatia which began 15 years ago when...