Foreign Minister Tuomioja in Athens

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja met Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Papandreou in Athens, Greece, on 2 April and discussed with him the situation in the Balkans, particularly in Macedonia, among others. The ministers welcomed the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic. According to Tuomioja and Papandreou it is understandable that Milosevic will stand trial for his crimes first in Yugoslavia and they both agreed that the trial can commence in Belgrade. The process should, at a later stage, be taken over by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), either in the Hague or in Belgrade.

The ministers also discussed the situation in Cyprus and the EU's englargement. They said new members would be admitted in accordance with objective criteria and it could take place in several phases.