Chairman-in-Office welcomes transfer of Milosevic to The Hague

BUCHAREST, 29 June 2001 (OSCE) - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, welcomes the transfer of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, where he will be tried on war crimes charges.

"This closes one of the most tragic chapters of the recent Balkan history and paves the way to the full normalization of the situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and to a complete reintegration of the country into the international community of democratic states", stated Mr. Geoana. "As discussed a few days ago in The Hague with Carla del Ponte, this is also helping the ICTY to expedite the indictment of all those who committed war crimes", the Chairman-in-Office added. The obligation to transfer indicted persons to the International Criminal Tribunal arises from the Charter of the United Nations and Article 29 of the Statute of the Tribunal and is binding on all United Nations member States.

The Chairman-in-Office expressed hope that the political forces of the country will concentrate on the full implementation of the political, economic and social reform agenda, in the interest of the stability of the country and the region. "The development and the consolidation of democracy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is essential and will benefit the whole south-eastern European area, in the prospect of its integration into the European institutions and structures", Mr. Geoana said.

The OSCE stands ready to assist the Yugoslav authorities in this process, stressed the Chairman-in-Office. The OSCE Permanent Council, the Organization's main decision-making body, decided on 11 January to establish a new OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to provide assistance and expertise to the Yugoslav authorities in the fields of democratization, protection of human rights and minorities, and media development.

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For further information, please contact Josue Anselmo, OSCE Spokesperson, mobile (+43) 664 325 3698, or the Press and Public Information Section of the OSCE Secretariat, tel.: (+ 43-1) 514 36 180, or e-mail: info@osce.org