ICJ to rule on Croatian and Serbian genocide laswuits

ICJ to rule on Croatian and Serbian genocide laswuits

BELGRADE -- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will today rule on genocide lawssuits filed by Croatia and Serbia for the crimes committed in Croatia in 1991-1995.

Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic will attend the ICJ session during which the Trial Chamber, comprising 15 permanent and two ad hoc judges from Serbia and Croatia, would release its ruling on the suits with a short explanation.

Selakovic said that Serbia, "as a UN member" will respect the ruling, but added that he thought it was "completely convinced it was impossible" that the court will find Serbia guilty.

Serbian Minister of Trade Rasim Ljajic also does not expect Serbia to be declared guilty, and noted that the verdict will finish the legal aspect, transferring the case to the political field. Asked how much the court process cost the country, Lajic said he did not know the exact amount, but noted it was "immeasurably less" than the lawsuit involving Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The ICJ is expected to pronounce the ruling on the suit filed by Croatia in July 1999 first, after which it will release its decision on the counter-suit filed by Serbia in January 2010.

The ICJ ruling will be final and cannot be appealed, and the countries will have the obligation to adhere to it.

Head of the Serbian legal team Sasa Obradovic told Tanjug on Monday that he expects the court to reject the Croatian genocide suit against Serbia or to reject the section of it that covers the year of 1991.

He explained that the ICJ could reject the suit in the section in case it finds that Serbia cannot be called on to answer for the 1991 events when it was one of the republics of former SFRY and not an...