CARLA DEL PONTE WELCOMES APPREHENSION OF MOMCILO KRAJISNIK

ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) - Main prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Carla Del Ponte welcomed the latest apprehension by the NATO led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) following the detention Monday of the accused Momcilo Krajisnik in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the ICTY said in a statement on Monday. Del Ponte acknowledged the key role that the SFOR played in bringing indicted persons to justice. President of the Bosnian Serb Assembly between October 1991 and November 1995 Krajisnik "is the highest-ranking political figure to be apprehended so far by the Tribunal. His arrest is therefore extremely significant development and demonstrates the Prosecutor's strategy of indicting persons at the topmost levels of responsibility", read the statement. The ICTY Prosecutor indicted Krajisnik on February 21, 2000 and the indictment, along with the arrest warrant, was kept confidential following the confirmation of the Judge of this Tribunal on February 26, 2000. The indictment read that "between 1 July, 1991 and 31 December, 1992, the accused Momcilo Krajisnik, together with Radovan Karadzic and others, was responsible for the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of laws and customs of war and grave breaches of the Geneva conventions, which were committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina during that period". The Prosecutor made two more observations, namely that "that the indictment such as this deals with the individual criminal responsibility of leaders; it is not directed at the Bosnian Serbs collectively". Second, the Prosecutor calls upon the international community to insist on the apprehension and surrender of all other indicted persons. "In particular the Prosecutor calls for the apprehension of Radovan Karadzic who should stand trial jointly with the accused Momcilo Krajisnik", the statement read. (hina) it jn