BELGRADE, March 30 (Hina) - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said on Saturday he was in favour of Yugoslavia's cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague. He stressed, however, the cooperation should be held within
legal frameworks and for the purpose of preserving national dignity and not for suspicious monetary compensation.
BELGRADE, March 30 (Hina) - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica
said on Saturday he was in favour of Yugoslavia's cooperation with
the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague. He stressed, however, the
cooperation should be held within legal frameworks and for the
purpose of preserving national dignity and not for suspicious
monetary compensation. #L#
"Cooperation with the Hague tribunal is our international
obligation. But it has to be regulated within legal frameworks and
in a civilised fashion, for the purpose of preserving national
dignity, the truth and the accused, and not for suspicious dollar
compensation," Kostunica said in a written statement.
The statement is a response to criticism on the part of some Serbian
officials and parties that Kostunica is sabotaging Yugoslavia's
cooperation with the tribunal, and to accusations that he
threatened to foment street protests and unrest in case of new
extraditions.
Three days ago Kostunica told Serbian television "the very idea of
the tribunal and cooperation with it" made him sick.
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic recently told the
Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza that several war crimes indictees from
Serbia would be extradited very soon.
(hina) ha