Dubrovnik siege suspects named

The medieval city of Dubrovnik was badly damaged

Four former Yugoslav army and navy commanders charged with war crimes for their alleged role in the siege of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik in 1991 have been named.

The indictment, which had remained sealed since being issued in February, was disclosed by the war crimes tribunal at The Hague on Tuesday after Yugoslav authorities failed to arrest the men.

Pavle Strugar, Miodrag Jokic, Milan Zec and Vladimir Kovacevic are charged in connection with the bombardment of the medieval walled city by Yugoslav forces.

Dozens of people were killed and the city was partly destroyed during shelling by the Yugoslav army, navy and airforce, which lasted from October to December.

The men are charged with the murders of 43 civilians. They are also accused of causing wilful damage to historic monuments and the wanton destruction of villages near Dubrovnik.

'Wanton destruction'

Yugoslav forces, supporting a Serb rebellion in Dubrovnik, attacked the historic port city after Croatia declared independence from the federal republic in June 1991.

The chief war crimes prosecutor called for the men's immediate arrest

The city, known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, is a United Nations World Heritage Site and seemed to have little military value.

A 1993 survey put the cost of rebuilding and repairing buildings damaged in the bombardment at over $9m.

In March, the Chief Prosecutor at The Hague, Carla Del Ponte, said sealed indictments had been issued against unnamed Serbs and Montenegrins serving in the Yugoslav federal army for the bombing of Dubrovnik.

Issuing the indictments, the tribunal called the artillery attacks one of the biggest acts of wanton destruction committed during the break-up of the old Yugoslavia.

After the suspects' names were made public on Tuesday, Ms Del Ponte called for the men to be arrested immediately.