CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUES STATEMENT ON MILOSEVIC'S

ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Ministry on Friday welcomed the Serbian government decision to extradite former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The extradition of a politician who was the creator of the state terror concept in the service of ethnic cleansing in his and neighbouring countries is a crucial moment in the development of international relations in Europe and the world, as well as the development of the international judiciary, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Ministry hopes that Milosevic's extradition and trial will give partial satisfaction to victims and the families of victims of horrible crimes and will be a warning to all those who think they can escape international justice. "We believe the ICTY Prosecution will soon expand Milosevic's indictment by adding crimes committed in Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina," the statement read. The Ministry also believes that the extradition is the first confirmation of the Serbian government's consistency in facing the crimes committed in the past and individualising guilt, adding it could be a turning point in the acceleration of the normalisation of relations and the stabilisation in the region. (hina) it