IS INDIVIDUAL APPROACH STILL CONDITIONAL ON COOPERATION WITH HAGUE?

ZAGREB, Nov 21 (Hina) - Cooperation between the former Yugoslav countries and The Hague-based war crimes tribunal should continue to be one of the most important conditions on which the European Union bases its individual approach to the countries in the region, although so far Europe has failed to make a public effort to force Yugoslavia to fulfil its obligations toward the Tribunal. While ahead of the start of the Zagreb Summit there are not many question marks as regards relations between Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina and the Hague tribunal, in the case of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia the world and the Tribunal have only begun trying to find a way to make Belgrade fulfil its obligations, without jeopardising the political changes in the country. At the moment, those obligations include the hand-over of about ten indictees, including former president Slobodan Milosevic, his associates - the incumbent President of Serbia, Milan Milutinovic, Nikola Sainovic, Dragoljub Ojdanic and Vlatko Stojiljkovic, as well as Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic. During the pre-electoral campaign, new Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica declined the possibility that Milosevic might be handed over to the Tribunal, describing the Tribunal as "the fifth wheel." This month, he defined his stand toward cooperation with the ICTY by agreeing with the opening of an ICTY office in Belgrade. Still, Kostunica continues to insist that the hand-over of Milosevic is not a priority and that Milosevic must answer "before the Serb people" for his deeds. So far, the international community has responded by reminding Belgrade that it is obliged to hand over the indictees, but that "there is a time and a place for everything." This is not nearly the reaction provoked by Croatia's refusal to hand over Mladen "Tuta" Naletilic, fulfil other requests facilitating investigations into crimes committed in operations 'Flash' and 'Storm' and hand over documents regarding the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Despite the failure of Belgrade authorities to fulfil the main obligations toward the Tribunal, the European Union has been lifting sanctions against Yugoslavia which earlier were strongly tied with the hand-over of Milosevic and other indictees, and has been providing financial assistance. Such a stand of the international community is accompanied by a political decision by the Hague tribunal, which, according to its president Claude Jorda, believes Kostunica should be given the time to reinforce his position. The U.N. Security Council still has the reports the ICTY filed against Belgrade and Zagreb due to their failure to cooperate. The report against Zagreb was filed due to the failure of Croatian authorities to hand over Naletilic and allow an inspection of documents on the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and crimes committed in 'Flash' and 'Storm'. Over the past years, Croatia paid for its non-cooperation with its international isolation, both politically and financially, but although political relations have warmed up after the January change of authority and a large number of documents and wanted persons have been handed over, this has not prompted the Hague tribunal to make the last move - withdraw its report to the U.N. Security Council. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to the ICTY, the biggest problem now is the Bosnian Croat side. An advisor to the ICTY Prosecutor, Anton Nikiforov, confirmed this stand at a seminar on the work of the ICTY in Mostar a month and a half ago. The Bosniak side has fulfilled all of its obligations and the Serb side has started cooperating when Milorad Dodik came into power, Nikiforov assessed. Despite this assessment, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is still moving freely throughout the Bosnian Serb entity. (hina) rml