SARAJEVO, Feb 25 (Hina) - The Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday agreed on the need to have some war criminals tried before national courts, and entrusted a special working group with determining modalities of implementing
that idea in cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY). A proposal on processing war criminals who did not belong to the Bosnian military leadership and political structures before Bosnian courts was put forward last year by Carla del Ponte. Del Ponte explained her proposal with the need for the ICTY to be able to process exclusively military and political leaders. This proposal was discussed today by BH Presidency members and ICTY officials and three liaison officers representing Bosnia's interests before the ICTY. "The Presidency and the Council of Ministers are obliged to provide full support for the processing of war crimes," Preside
SARAJEVO, Feb 25 (Hina) - The Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina on
Monday agreed on the need to have some war criminals tried before
national courts, and entrusted a special working group with
determining modalities of implementing that idea in cooperation
with the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia
(ICTY).
A proposal on processing war criminals who did not belong to the
Bosnian military leadership and political structures before
Bosnian courts was put forward last year by Carla del Ponte.
Del Ponte explained her proposal with the need for the ICTY to be
able to process exclusively military and political leaders.
This proposal was discussed today by BH Presidency members and ICTY
officials and three liaison officers representing Bosnia's
interests before the ICTY.
"The Presidency and the Council of Ministers are obliged to provide
full support for the processing of war crimes," Presidency chairman
Beriz Belkic said presenting the conclusions adopted at the
meeting.
Belkic said that after extending support in principle one should
secure concrete mechanisms of implementing this initiative.
According to Belkic, there remain many doubts which must be
cleared, the most important one being whether one should establish
a special national war crimes court or if this task could be
performed by the existing judicial bodies.
According to unofficial information, war crimes trials will have to
be conducted under the supervision of and in cooperation with ICTY
representatives.
Belkic said the decision on how court proceedings would be
conducted would have to be adopted by entity parliaments.
"We have one goal: see that courts in Bosnia-Herzegovina are able to
prosecute war criminals impartially," Belkic said.
Belkic said today's discussion was not directly linked with the
fact that the Hague tribunal recently sent Sarajevo the opinion of
the ICTY Prosecution on 62 war crimes cases.
The Bosniak liaison officer with the ICTY, Amir Ahmic, confirmed
that the opinion of the Hague tribunal on cases investigated by
local prosecutors had been sent to Bosnia.
He said that in all 62 cases the victims were Bosniaks, which means
that the suspects were persons of Serb and Croat nationality.
(hina) rml