Head of OSCE Mission to Serbia welcomes arrest of Ratko Mladić
BELGRADE, 26 May 2011 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Dimitrios Kypreos, welcomes the arrest in Serbia todayof the Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić, who was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), including genocide in Srebrenica. The news was confirmed by Serbian President Boris Tadic.
“This step is a big success in the years’ long efforts to bring to justice all those indicted by the ICTY and demonstrates the Serbian authorities’ commitment to full co-operation with the Hague Tribunal and the determination of Serbian society to deal with the painful legacy of the past,” said Kypreos.
“The arrest of Ratko Mladić, reinforces Serbia’s position in the international community, and makes an important contribution to regional reconciliation and serves justice to the victims of war crimes.”
The OSCE Mission has been successfully working with the Serbian authorities and judiciary, notably the War Crimes Prosecutor Office, Ministry of Interior and the National Council for Cooperation with the ICTY, in improving the capacity to investigate and prosecute war crimes. The Mission salutes their results and stands ready to further co-operate with Serbian institutions in promoting accountability for war crimes.