BELGIUM: UN chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte says time is running out and EU leaders must demand Serbia search for war criminals

UN chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte has urged European leaders to demand Serbia fully cooperate and search for war criminals before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) ceases operations in 2010 and before settling the Kosovo issue allowing Serbia to enter talks with the EU. United Nations (UN) war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte expressed concern on Wednesday (February 14) that the international community was not supporting her efforts to bring Serbian war crimes suspects to justice. Speaking at a news conference with Belgian foreign minister Karel de Gucht the chief prosecutor said the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) would cease operations in 2010 and that, realistically, there was very little time left to catch war criminals Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadic. "We must close the door in 2010 and we have the most, the most responsible for crimes committed in Bosnia Herzegovina still at large and we have the international community who is no more engaged to help us to reach the arrest and transfer of Mladic. So I am here and I am going round in Europe for, asking for help. If we still believe in the rule of law, for the country of Serbia and other countries, if we still believe in international justice, if we still believe that it must be done for the victims I need the international community to support that so we will be able to execute our mandate," del Ponte said. Other EU countries are favouring a softer approach. De Gucht said he could not agree that talks on Serbia's closer ties with the EU could be resumed unless there was a "green light" from Del Ponte. "Our position in Belgium is that we cannot agree that the ASA negotiations are resumed unless there is nihil obstat (no obstacles) a green light from ICTY. I think it would be a complete disaster that we will pay for for very long in the future if that would be the case. I think that is completely wrong to do so. We should be firm in our position, it will not influence the region's stability, that is simply not true, but it would be a mistake for the future." Belgian officials said the United States, which is among the powers backing the UN plan on Kosovo, was giving mixed signals on whether dealing with Serbian war crimes should be given priority over Kosovo's future. Belgium and the Netherlands have taken a tough line, saying the talks suspended last May should not resume until Serbia cooperates fully with the Hague tribunal in bringing suspects, including former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, to trial for genocide. Del Ponte, visiting Brussels last month, appealed to the European Union last month not to resume the talks until Belgrade handed over Mladic. She said that she wanted to make them aware that not only was Serbia not cooperating it had simply ceased communicating. "Now. I am informing ministers. I am touring Europe to inform them that Belgrade, not only is not fully cooperating, but Belgrade is not cooperating at all any more. Since October, and the excuse was the electoral campaign, they could not cooperate. And I am not talking of the search for the fugitives. Since October I have received no reports whatsoever about what they are or not doing regarding the search and I have received no documents," she said. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Serb leaders this month full cooperation with the UN's ICTY was a condition for concluding talks on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. But he indicated a clear commitment from a new government to cooperate fully with the court could be enough to allow a resumption of the talks. EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday (February 12) expressed readiness to resume talks if Serbia showed "clear commitment and takes concrete and effective action for full cooperation" with Del Ponte's tribunal.

ITN Source | February 15, 2007

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