| Press Release | TRIBUNAL |
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
CC/PIO/076-E
Meetings in Bonn between ICTY President and German Ministers.
Continuing his series of contacts with Governments of European countries, on 23 May 1996 Mr. Antonio Cassese, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, met in Bonn with Foreign Minister, Dr. Klaus Kinkel, and Justice Minister, Prof. Dr. Edzard Schmidt-Jortzig.
The meetings, which were cordial and extremely constructive, focused on two questions: first, how to re-inforce international pressure to ensure the prosecution and punishment of authors of serious war crimes and crimes against humanity, and, second, how to develop further co-operation of Governments with the work of the Tribunal.
President Cassese paid tribute to the significant and valuable contribution to the Tribunal already made by the German authorities.
Dr. Kinkel promised that he would continue strongly to support the Tribunal. He emphasised the importance of arresting and bringing to trial persons indicted by the Tribunal, in particular Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Failure to bring these and others in Bosnia and Herzegovina to justice, he said, risks seriously undermining the progress leading to free and democratic elections. He promised to continue his appeals to the parties in the conflict to honour fully their international obligations.
Dr. Kinkel expressed his appreciation for the vigorous action of the Tribunal, and agreed with President Cassese that only justice can bring about lasting and real peace in the former Yugoslavia. He also promised to give serious consideration to a request by President Cassese that Germany assist the Tribunal in investigating mass graves.
Justice Minister Schmidt-Jortzig and President Cassese exchanged views on a number of legal points relating to the co-operation of Germany with the Tribunal, and also discussed various forms of practical co-operation with the Tribunal, including:
1) the temporary secondment of prosecutors and translators for the application of the Rome Agreement of 18 February 1996;
2) the secondment of comparative criminal lawyers and data analysts;
3) the implementation of the offer, previously made by Germany, to have convicted persons serve their sentences in Germany.
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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