I hope that the progress which I have seen in recent months will continue at an accelerated rate, Meron said after meeting Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul during his first official visit to Croatia on Thursday.
He said that he would report to the UN General Assembly on 15 November and the UN Security Council on 23 November on the cooperation of countries in the region with the UN tribunal, and that he would like to acknowledge the efforts which the Croatian government had been investing into its cooperation with the tribunal.
Meron said that the meeting with Zuzul addressed a number of issues concerning cooperation, especially what the Croatian government should do to fulfil its obligation to fully cooperate with the tribunal.
The ICTY president assessed very positively the progress made in training Croatian judges for taking over cases from the ICTY and conducting war crimes trials in line with international standards, within a joint project of the UN tribunal and the Croatian government.
Meron said that the meeting also addressed the issue of runaway Croatian general Ante Gotovina and other fugitives, stressing that it was of great importance to bring all the remaining fugitives to The Hague, especially Gotovina.
Zuzul said he was confident that it was possible to continue the good cooperation with the ICTY without that cooperation posing an obstacle to Croatia's goals. He said that on 15 November, he too would address the UN General Assembly on cooperation between Croatia and the UN tribunal.
After meeting Zuzul, Meron visited the Croatian Supreme Court, where he met Supreme Court president Ivica Crnic and the court's college of judges. The ICTY president is expected to give a lecture for judicial and state officials and members of the diplomatic corps at 5 pm.