WASHINGTON, June 5 (Hina) - The U.S. government should press Serbia for additional human rights improvements before it decides to certify Belgrade for continued U.S. aid, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, June 5 (Hina) - The U.S. government should press Serbia
for additional human rights improvements before it decides to
certify Belgrade for continued U.S. aid, Human Rights Watch (HRW)
reported on Wednesday. #L#
The executive director of the HRW Europe and Central Asia Division,
Elizabeth Andersen, said before the U.S. Commission on Security and
Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), that the Serbian government should
demonstrate stronger commitment to the rule of law, including a
genuine commitment to establishing accountability for war crimes.
Since 2000, the U.S. Congress has been adopting an annual list of
reforms required of Serbia to avoid a cut-off of U.S. economic
assistance. The U.S. law identifies cooperation with the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),
the rule of law, and respect for minority rights, as priority areas
for progress.
"In the past year, the Serbian government has made some progress on
cooperation with the Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal and
accountability for war-time atrocities," said Andersen. "But it
still lacks clear political leadership to ensure that all those
responsible for war crimes are held accountable," she added
Human Rights Watch listed the arrest of former Bosnian Serb General
Ratko Mladic and commitments to apprehend all indictees remaining
in the territory of Serbia and Montenegro within one year, as a
priority for progress. They also seek confirmation from the Chief
Prosecutor of the ICTY, Carla Del Ponte, that she is receiving full
cooperation with ICTY document requests.
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