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Please
note that this is not a verbatim transcript of the Press Briefing.
It is merely a summary.
ICTY Weekly Press Briefing
Date: 01.12.2004
Time: 12.15 p.m.
Registry and Chambers:
Jim Landale, Spokesman for Registry and Chambers,
made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
Last week, in their addresses to the Security Council of the United
Nations, the President of the Tribunal, Judge Theodor Meron, and
Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte both stressed that Serbia and Montenegro
was still failing to arrest persons indicted by the Tribunal.
During the discussion that followed in the Security Council, Serbian
Government minister Zoran Loncar claimed that “since January
2003 as many as 24 indicted persons from the territory of Serbia
and Montenegro have been transferred to the custody of the Tribunal."
Minister Loncar’s claim is grossly incorrect. For the record, Serbia
and Montenegro has transferred 10 persons to the Tribunal since
January 2003, and, what is most alarming, only one single person,
Colonel Ljubisa Beara, in the last year.
As President Meron noted in his speech to the Security Council,
"the ICTY remains gravely concerned over that Government’s
lack of cooperation in particular its unwillingness to arrest fugitives".
The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Ambassador
Maurizio Massari, will be visiting the Tribunal today and will be
meeting with the President Meron and the Registrar, Hans Holthuis.
The OSCE Mission in Serbia and Montenegro is the lead international
agency dealing with judicial reform matters in the country and has
been particularly active in assisting the authorities with regard
to war crimes prosecutions.
For example this Monday in the northern Serbian town of Palic,
representatives of the Tribunal's Registry and Office of the Prosecutor
took part in a roundtable on regional cooperation in processing
war crimes cases. The event was hosted by the OSCE Mission to Serbia
and Montenegro and brought together judicial officials from Serbia
and Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The focus of
the roundtable was regional co-operation in the building of local
capacities to conduct war crimes trials in the former Yugoslavia
and the current obstacles facing such cooperation.
I would like to draw your attention to a request that has been
submitted by the Prosecutor, pursuant to Rule 11 bis, to
transfer the cases against Gojko Jankovic and Dragan Zelenovic to
the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would note that both
accused are still at large.
As you should be aware, this afternoon starting at 3 p.m. in Courtroom
III and continuing tomorrow afternoon and all day Friday, there
will be a motion hearing following a Rule 54 bis application
from Dragoljub Ojdanic. My understanding is that substantial portions
of the proceedings could be held in closed session. We have a detailed
scheduling order for the hearings, which will be available to you
after this.
In terms of other Outreach activities:
This week, ICTY Outreach hosted the visit of the President of the
State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Judge Meddzida Kreso.
During her visit, Judge Kreso met with the President, the Chief
Prosecutor and the Registrar of the Tribunal, as well as with other
ICTY officials, including the Chiefs of the Victims and Witnesses
Section, the Office of Legal Aid and Detention Matters, and the
Court Management and Support Services Section. She was also able
to observe various court proceedings and was given a detailed introduction
to the technical equipment in ICTY's courtrooms. During her visit,
Judge Kreso had very useful discussions as part of the ongoing efforts
of the ICTY to assist in the local capacity building in the region
of the former Yugoslavia.
Two weeks ago ICTY Outreach welcomed a group of young journalists
and film makers from across the former Yugoslavia who was here to
film a documentary project which aims to dispel prejudice about
the ICTY in the region of the former Yugoslavia. Through interviews
with ICTY staff, the students hope to make a documentary that explains
how the Tribunal functions, the purpose of its work and why all
countries of the former Yugoslavia need to cooperate with the ICTY.
Next week is yet another busy week, with the Milosevic, Limaj et
al., Oric, Hadzihasanovic and Kubura, and Krajisnik trials continuing
in all three of our courtrooms.
Since there will be a plenary session of the Tribunal’s Judges
next Wednesday, 8 December, there will be no court proceedings that
day.
There will be a pre-trial conference in the case concerning allegations
against Milka Maglov on Monday, 13 December 2004, starting at 3
p.m.
A reminder that in The Prosecutor v. Dario Kordic and Mario
Cerkez, the Appeals Chamber will render its judgement on Appeal
on 17 December 2004 at 2.15 p.m. in Courtroom I.
There will be a status conference in The Prosecutor v. Milan
Babic on 17 December at 4.30 p.m. in Courtroom II.
Office of the Prosecutor:
Florence Hartmann for the Office of the Prosecutor read out the
following agenda of meetings during the Prosecutor’s visit to Bosnia
and Herzegovina on 2 and 3 December:
Visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina by Carla Del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor
of the ICTY, December 2 and 3 December, 2004
Thursday 2 Dec 2004
1530- Visit of BiH Court with Lord Ashdown
1630- Meeting with High Representative
* Short media opportunity after at OHR
1730- Meeting with NATO officials
Friday 3 Dec 2004
0900- Meeting with COMEUFOR –Maj. Gen. David Leakey
0955- Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Assembly - Address of
the Prosecutor to the PIC
* Short Press opportunity at the PIC meeting place
1115- BiH Court. Meeting with BiH Prosecutor Mr. Jurcevic
1145-1200 - Meeting with BiH Court President Mrs. Kreso
1430- Meeting with former COMSFOR
There were no questions.
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