President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia Theodor Meron informed today, 7 May 2004, the Council of Europe about the co-operation between the countries of former Yugoslavia and the Tribunal, especially as regards Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s fulfilling the obligations assumed through membership in the Council of Europe
Tribunal’s president Meron pointed out the necessity of intensifying the efforts to capture the indicted general Ante Gotovina. As regards the preparation of Croatian courts for assuming some of the war crime cases from the International Tribunal, President Meron expressed Tribunal’s readiness to, through agreed seminars, offer help in preparing Croatian judges for dealing with these cases, adding that reports from the European Commission and OSCE Mission point out the necessity of equal legal treatment for all those accused of war crimes.
Assistant Foreign Minister Neven Madey described Tribunal’s President’s report as objective, and reiterated Croatian government’s full commitment to co-operation with the Tribunal. Such policy has also been confirmed through concrete proof of legal co-operation with the Hague in the last couple of months, on all areas, including the solving of the case of general Ante Gotovina. Croatia sees the co-operation with the Tribunal as its international obligation and moral responsibility as regards the building of the future for this country within the context of membership in the Euro-Atlantic integrations.
Assistant Foreign Minister also commented on the capability of Croatian judiciary to take on some of the cases, pointing out that, with Tribunal’s help, as well as other friendly countries, four courts designated for that purpose will be properly and timely trained, in accordance with the UN and International Criminal Tribunal’s standards. Representatives from the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland also positively reviewed Croatia’s co-operation with the Tribunal.
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