SARAJEVO, May 25 (Hina) - The war crimes tribunal in The Hague has increased pressure on Bosnian Serb authorities to force them to start truly cooperating, which would include the extradition of suspects, a tribunal spokesperson has
said. The Republic of Srpska (RS) currently harbours the highest number of people sought for crimes committed during the 1990s Bosnian war, Florence Hartmann, spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, told Banja Luka-based Nezavisne Novine on Friday. Twelve of the 38 people sought by the tribunal are on Yugoslav and the rest on RS territory, she said in an interview resolutely refuting claims by RS Prime Minister Mirko Sarovic who said that not one indicted person was on the territory of the Bosnian Serb entity. The Office of the High Representative in Bosnia urged Sarovic to elaborate given that the Hague tribunal repeatedly issued warnings to the effect that the most wanted war
SARAJEVO, May 25 (Hina) - The war crimes tribunal in The Hague has
increased pressure on Bosnian Serb authorities to force them to
start truly cooperating, which would include the extradition of
suspects, a tribunal spokesperson has said.
The Republic of Srpska (RS) currently harbours the highest number
of people sought for crimes committed during the 1990s Bosnian war,
Florence Hartmann, spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, told
Banja Luka-based Nezavisne Novine on Friday.
Twelve of the 38 people sought by the tribunal are on Yugoslav and
the rest on RS territory, she said in an interview resolutely
refuting claims by RS Prime Minister Mirko Sarovic who said that not
one indicted person was on the territory of the Bosnian Serb
entity.
The Office of the High Representative in Bosnia urged Sarovic to
elaborate given that the Hague tribunal repeatedly issued warnings
to the effect that the most wanted war criminals were in RS. The
chief prosecutor herself said she had reliable information that
Radovan Karadzic had been staying in Bosnia for a long time and that
Ratko Mladic had recently returned.
The chief commander of NATO's Stabilisation Force in Bosnia, U.S.
General Michael Dodson, confirmed in a Dnevni Avaz daily interview
willingness to continue arresting suspects, but added that most
probably were not in Bosnia but in Yugoslavia. He conceded they
probably came to RS, but that the problem was how to trace them and
ensure appropriate forces to confront them at a specific moment.
He did not conceal his disappointment with the conduct of RS
authorities and especially Sarovic of whom much more was expected.
Hartmann said the tribunal knew that Karadzic and Mladic were in
touch with RS authorities, and accused senior Bosnian Serb
officials of deliberately helping war criminals. She pointed out
the Banja Luka authorities were not cooperating with the Hague
tribunal at all.
Sarovic and Deputy RS Prime Minister Dragan Covic told the Banja
Luka media on Friday a law on cooperation with the tribunal could be
expected in the near future. They, however, reiterated that the
tribunal was biased and had been founded only to prosecute Serbs.
The Hague tribunal received additional confirmation that the
former Bosnian Serb leader was in RS in the wake of a recent story
alleging that Karadzic had sent a letter to the head of the Serb
Orthodox Church stating that Serbs did not commit crimes during the
Bosnian war.
The U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia, Thomas Miller, said earlier this
week neither he nor his government would have any contact with
Sarovic or his Serb Democratic Party (SDS) as long as they remained
under Karadzic's influence.
(hina) ha