War crimes chief accuses Vatican

BRUSSELS - The United Nations's chief war crimes prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, was at the centre of a diplomatic row with the Vatican yesterday after claiming that the Roman Catholic Church is shielding Croatia's most wanted man.

Del Ponte provoked anger in Rome and Zagreb when she said that Ante Gotovina, a former general indicted for war crimes, is hiding in a monastery in Croatia.

Her comments come at a sensitive time, since Croatia's bid to start European Union membership talks will be re-examined soon. Zagreb's ambitions have been put on hold until the authorities there are deemed to be giving full co-operation to the UN's war crimes tribunal.

While Del Ponte highlighted the responsibility of the Church, rather than the state, for shielding Gotovina, her comments also contradict the Government's claims that the general is not on its soil.

Instead, Del Ponte said she had information that he "is hiding in a Franciscan monastery and so the Catholic Church is protecting him. I have taken this up with the Vatican and the Vatican refuses totally to co-operate with us."

She said the Vatican could probably pinpoint exactly which of Croatia's 80 monasteries was sheltering him "in a few days".

A Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said Del Ponte had been asked for evidence of Gotovina's whereabouts, but that she did not provide more information. He said the chief prosecutor was trying, improperly, to use the Vatican as an enforcement tool.

The Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, reiterated his insistence that "based on all the information we're getting, Gotovina is not in Croatia".

- INDEPENDENT