ALBRIGHT, GALBRAITH ON WAR CRIMES

ZAGREB, Jan 6 (Hina) - The United States will be pursuing very actively the functioning of the war crimes tribunal, US Ambassador to the UN Madeleine Albright told a news conference in Zagreb on Thursday. Mrs. Albright, US Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith and Assistant Secretary for Human Rights John Shattuck spoke to reporters after their return from Vukovar, eastern Croatia. "We consider the war crimes tribunal and the resolution of these issues an integral part of the peace process; otherwise there is no way for there not to be a sense of collective guilt when we know that there are only some that are responsible for the atrocities," said Ambassador Albright. "We do think that it is important for there to be co-operation by the countries in terms of giving up those people that have been alleged to be a part of these atrocities. On the issue of removing sanctions, behaviour vis-a-vis the war crimes tribunal will be considered. Otherwise, these people will be prisoners in their own land," she stressed. Ambassador Galbraith said he had not received any assurances from the Serb side that they would allow the excavation of the Ovcara mass grave. "We did not receive any specific assurances that they would co-operate... We do expect and we will insist that they commit to that excavation." Ambassador Galbraith went on to say: "They (the Serbs) admitted to atrocities. In fact, Hadzic said that they would be prepared to turn over the people who have committed the atrocities... Also, nobody denied that this was a mass grave. Anyhow, a trench has been dug and we know it is a mass grave and they did not deny that the Serbs and the J.N.A. (Yugoslav People's Army) were responsible for it." 062157 MET jan 94