BELGRADE, June 13 (Hina) - Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said on Thursday nothing had really changed in Serbia in the attitude to the Hague war crimes tribunal, and that public opinion, encouraged by politicians,
continued to be hugely divided.
BELGRADE, June 13 (Hina) - Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran
Svilanovic said on Thursday nothing had really changed in Serbia in
the attitude to the Hague war crimes tribunal, and that public
opinion, encouraged by politicians, continued to be hugely
divided. #L#
"Politicians have to send clearer messages to the public saying
that the Hague tribunal was established because war crimes were
committed in Bosnia, in Croatia and on Yugoslav territory and
because the domestic judiciary did not react to those crimes
adequately," Svilanovic said opening a round table on Yugoslavia's
relations with the UN tribunal.
The practice of covering up crimes in the countries of the region
has to be stopped as "the past ten years cannot be covered with
dust," he said.
Unless the liability of every individual for every concrete crime
is established, it will not be possible to change the situation in
Yugoslavia "to the degree required for it to become an equal member
of the European family of countries," said Svilanovic.
The round table was organised by the Forum for International
Relations of the European Council of Serbia. In attendance were
senior officials of the Hague tribunal.
Deputy chief prosecutor Graham Blewitt said it was very important
for all war criminals to be brought to justice. In the contrary, the
seed of future conflicts will be sown, he said, adding that it was
also important to start trials before domestic courts as the Hague
tribunal could not do everything alone.
Blewitt dismissed accusations that the Hague tribunal was anti-
Serbian. He said that unlike the Bosniaks, who submitted evidence
from day one, Belgrade and Zagreb refused to cooperate which, he
added, obstructed the collection of serious evidence regarding
crimes against Serbs.
(hina) ha sb