ZAGREB DECLARATION ZAGREB, Nov 28 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic on Tuesday said the international community's stance on the necessity for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to cooperate with the Hague Tribunal was clearly
expressed in the Final Declaration of the recent Zagreb Summit, regardless of statements of some European leading politicians that the assistance to Belgrade would not be conditioned by Yugoslavia's extradition of war criminals to the ICTY.
ZAGREB, Nov 28 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic on
Tuesday said the international community's stance on the necessity
for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to cooperate with the Hague
Tribunal was clearly expressed in the Final Declaration of the
recent Zagreb Summit, regardless of statements of some European
leading politicians that the assistance to Belgrade would not be
conditioned by Yugoslavia's extradition of war criminals to the
ICTY.#L#
"Let us read together, if necessary, the Declaration which was
signed in Zagreb, and adopted at the Summit by acclamation without
any vote against the document, and which reads that all countries in
this region must cooperate with the Hague Tribunal," Mesic told a
news conference in Zagreb when he was asked to comment on statements
of European Commission President Romano Prodi and OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly head, Adrian Severin, on this matter.
On Sunday, during his tour to Belgrade, Prodi said Europe would not
condition its assistance to Yugoslavia on the transfer of war
crimes suspects to the International Criminal Tribunal for former
Yugoslavia (ICTY), and a day later in Vienna Severin said the
international community should have a balanced approach which
would not insult the Serb people's dignity and which would show
understanding that at the moment it was not of top priority for
Belgrade to hand over former President Slobodan Milosevic.
Mesic explained Prodi's statement asserting that EC president gave
such a statement while he was in Belgrade and that it probably
referred the delivery of power supplies necessary for Yugoslavs to
survive this winter.
"I do not believe that, in general, assistance to Serbia, namely
Yugoslavia, would not at all be conditioned as this would be
contrary to all decisions so far made referring to Serbia and the
war in this region," the Croatian head of state said.
"Milosevic must go to The Hague, and therefore the assistance is
likely to be conditioned," Mesic told the news conference.
As regards the dignity of the Serbian people which Severin spoke
about, "it will be to their (Serbian) benefit that the guilt is
individualised," Mesic added.
Asked about announcements that he was willing to cooperate in
procedure led by the ICTY against Milosevic, Mesic replied he had
already sent his statement.
(hina) jn ms