WASHINGTON, May 21 (Hina) - Yugoslavia will be able to receive the remaining US$40 million in assistance the US government approved in this year's budget, US State Secretary Colin Powell stated in Washington on Tuesday following talks
with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic and Serbia's Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Hina) - Yugoslavia will be able to receive the
remaining US$40 million in assistance the US government approved in
this year's budget, US State Secretary Colin Powell stated in
Washington on Tuesday following talks with Yugoslav Foreign
Minister Goran Svilanovic and Serbia's Prime Minister Zoran
Djindjic. #L#
Powell expressed his satisfaction with the adoption of new laws in
that country and the establishment of a Yugoslav commission for co-
operation with the Hague war crimes tribunal. He also applauded the
recent surrender of several suspects to the UN tribunal.
Powell called on the government in Belgrade to further improve its
co-operation with the tribunal, particularly with regard to access
to documentation requested by the prosecutor's office.
The Human Rights Watch and other organisations recently criticised
the Yugoslav government for rejecting to hand over evidence
concerning war crimes committed in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
Certain progress has been achieved with regard to access to
archives, Powell said.
Serbian Prime Minister Djindjic said that the police now needed to
implement laws and extradite suspects to the UN tribunal.
The US state budget this year earmarked a total of US$120 million to
assist Yugoslavia. This aid, however, was halted after March 31
because Belgrade's cooperation with the tribunal was not
satisfactory. In the past 50 days, US representatives were obliged
to block any possible financial assistance that international
financial institutions were prepared to forward to Yugoslavia.
Powell announced that he would soon propose to Congress to
instigate the process of full normalisation of trade relations with
Yugoslavia.
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