U.S. Envoy Slams Serb PM on War Crimes Handovers

[maddezmom]

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A top U.S. envoy accused Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica (news - web sites) of not doing enough to arrest leading war crimes suspects on Monday, saying Belgrade had shown "zero cooperation" with The Hague (news - web sites) war crimes tribunal.



The U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues, Pierre-Richard Prosper, said Serbia's lack of cooperation with the U.N. court was jeopardizing plans to wrap up trials in 2008 and that the court's lifespan might have to be extended.


Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic is among key figures wanted by the international war crimes court along with several Serbian army and police generals accused of crimes against ethnic Albanians in the 1999 Kosovo conflict.


"There is zero cooperation and the Prime Minister bears responsibility for this. He is making the situation more difficult for the Serbian people because he is not asking his (security) services or requiring his services to go arrest the fugitives," Prosper said on a visit to The Hague.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=1276&e=1&u=/nm/20041206/wl_nm/warcrimes_serbiamontenegro_us_dc

But yet:

U.S. Trying To Escape International Criminal Court
Aid Could End For Nations That Don't Exempt U.S.

The Bush administration is adding an economic punch to its campaign to escape the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

The administration fears that Americans could be brought before the tribunal by foreign countries. That concern has led to the U.S. policy to undermine the court's work.

The ICC is the first permanent international body set up to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of war. It could possibly apply to the modern-day genocides in the Sudan and the Congo or Rwanda.

It replaces the ad-hoc war crimes tribunals set up by the United Nations, such as the court trying former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic at the Hague.

more: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/helenthomas/3963426/detail.html

[leesa]

1. Unlike OUR cooperation with turning over US war criminals

The irony is simply too thick. Maybe if we give Dubya to the Hague for trial, they will be more cooperative.

[Downtown Hound]

2. Oh the irony

[struggle4progress]

3. kick

:kick: