REPORT THAT US SOUGHT TO ABOLISH HAGUE TRIBUNAL TURNS OUT TO BE BOGUS

REPORT THAT US SOUGHT TO ABOLISH HAGUE TRIBUNAL TURNS OUT TO BE BOGUS
Various Agencies - October 26, 2004

US has not changed its position on The Hague tribunal
Tanjug - October 26, 2004

17:47 BELGRADE , Oct 26 (Tanjug) - The US embassy in Belgrade announced Tuesday that the Bush administration continues to back the efforts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to bring to justice all who committed serious violations of the internatinal humanitarian law. The United States continues to provide financial and diplomatic support to ICTY, a statement sent to Tanjug said today denying reports in the majority of dailies and electronic media that the US government has allegedly changed its policy towards ICTY.

The US government continues to demand from the governments of Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia to fulfill their legal obligations and fully cooperate with ICTY, which includes the arrest and handing over to The Hague of all indicted fugatives in their territories, specially Ratko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic and Ante Gotovina - for whom the doors of the tribunal will remain open, the US emabssy said.

US has not change attitude towards ICTY
Tanjug - October 26, 2004

19:03 THE HAGUE , Oct 26 (Tanjug) - Washington has given guarantees to the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Theodore Meron that the US has not changed its attitude towards ICTY and that it would continue supporting it financially, politically and diplomatically, it was announced Tuesday in The Hague.

Judge Meron has contacted Washington in order to clarify some comments published recently by the Washington Times.

Washington denies U-turn on Hague
B92 - October 26, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Tuesday – The US State Department has denied a claim by Washington Times columnist Jeffrey Kuhner that Washington has turned its policy on the Hague Tribunal upside down.

State Department official Adam Ereli said that the US continued to strongly support the tribunal in its efforts to prosecute severe breaches of international human rights.

“We are continuing to offer financial and diplomatic support to the Hague court and we will continue to do so resolutely, calling on the authorities in Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia to meet their legal obligation to cooperate fully with the court,” said Ereli.

Kuhner, writing in yesterday’s issue of the Washington Times, quoted John Bolton, the US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, as saying that the tribunal risked increasing tension in the Balkans rather than solving anything.

Kuhner also claimed that Washington had asked the tribunal to transfer all cases to courts in the countries of the former Yugoslavia as soon as possible or amnesty defendants.

Meron gets US support
Beta - October 26, 2004

THE HAGUE -- Tuesday – The US has given The Hague Tribunal’s President Theodore Meron assurance that its opinion of the tribunal has not changed.

Reacting to the Washington Times piece which stated that the US government no longer supports the work of the court, a statement from the tribunal said that “The US has told President Meron that there have been absolutely no changes in the American government’s stance towards the Hague Tribunal. President Meron has been given a guarantee from the US government that it will continue to fully support the Tribunal financially and politically."

The statement continued, adding that “It has been said to Meron that the US accepts the fact that the doors of the Tribunal will stay open for Karadzic and Mladic, and that the future of the nations of the former Yugoslavia within the Euro-Atlantic community, depends on their full cooperation the Tribunal."