SARAJEVO, Nov 19 (Hina) - The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, and the High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, agreed in Sarajevo on Tuesday
that it was necessary to make the national judiciary able to process war crimes as soon as possible. They called on the Republika Srpska authorities to fully cooperate in order that those most responsible for crimes, such as Radovan Karadzic, be arrested as soon as possible.
SARAJEVO, Nov 19 (Hina) - The Chief Prosecutor of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del
Ponte, and the High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy
Ashdown, agreed in Sarajevo on Tuesday that it was necessary to make
the national judiciary able to process war crimes as soon as
possible. They called on the Republika Srpska authorities to fully
cooperate in order that those most responsible for crimes, such as
Radovan Karadzic, be arrested as soon as possible. #L#
Del Ponte and Ashdown held talks behind closed doors. After the
meeting they issued a joint press release saying that the issue of
making the Bosnian judiciary capable of processing war crimes was
of crucial importance for the continuation of trials of war
criminals.
The two officials particularly called on the Bosnian Serb
authorities to cooperate in efforts to arrest war criminals,
primarily those high-ranking.
The tribunal will not shut its door until most serious war crimes
cases are tried, including the case of Radovan Karadzic, the joint
statement said.
During her visit to Sarajevo, Del Ponte did not hold talks with
local officials. After the visit to Bosnia, Del Ponte flied to
Belgrade to meet U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
(hina) it sb