Carla Del Ponte: EU's support needed in arresting Serbian war crimes fugitives 

"It seems that Serbia lacks the political will to track down and extradite its war criminals. We need the support of the international community, especially the EU, in our efforts to fight against impunity of war criminals," said Carla Del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in Helsinki on 29 September. "Next week I will be in Belgrade to speak about concrete cases and details of what they are doing about bringing Ratko Mladic and other war crimes fugitives to justice," Del Ponte said.

After her visit to Serbia, the ICTY will be able to make a full assessment of Serbia's cooperation in placing the fugitives before the court. Del Ponte said she was convinced Mladic would face justice provided the EU sticks to the conditions it has set for Serbia. According to Marja Lehto, Director of the Unit for Public International Law at Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the EU fully supports both the ICTY's and the International Criminal Court's efforts in fighting impunity.

Amnesty International is also calling for strong EU commitment: "We would like the EU to put pressure on the capitals in the western Balkans," said David Diaz-Jogeix, Deputy Programme Director in the section for Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty's International Secretariat.

Del Ponte was in Helsinki to attend a seminar entitled "Building a Culture of Accountability - Action Against Impunity in the External Relations of the European Union". "This seminar, organised by the Finnish EU Presidency and Amnesty International, was one way to highlight the EU's commitment to enforcement of international justice," Lehto stated. Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn and International Criminal Court Judge Erkki Kourula also spoke at the seminar.

Speech by Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja at the seminar(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)