Serbia's cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor and my assessment of that cooperation is generating a great deal of interest among those following the work of the ICTY. As agreed with representatives of the European Union, later this month, I will provide them with a comprehensive assessment of Serbia's efforts in this regard.
During my most recent visits to Belgrade, everyone I met, both on the political and on the operative level, assured me of Belgrade's commitment to full cooperation with the Tribunal. I welcomed this declared commitment.
However, although we have seen some results in the past four months, progress has been rather slow. We are still waiting for documents, some of which were requested last year. We are also still waiting for full access to requested government archives. Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karad¾ić, Stojan ®upljanin and Goran Hadzić remain at large. I am increasingly worried that this slow
progress may not lead to a positive outcome.
This is why I would like to take this opportunity to again urge the authorities in Belgrade to take more effective action towards full cooperation with my Office.
First of all, I would like to reiterate that the four remaining fugitives, and in particular Ratko Mladić, must be located and arrested. Secondly, all pending requests for assistance must be complied with and all outstanding documents delivered immediately. Finally, I seek full and unconditional access to requested government archives.
Any further delay in fulfilling these obligations jeopardizes the successful completion of the Tribunal's work and interferes with the Tribunal's ability to fulfill its mandate. It also inevitably brings into question Serbia's willingness and ability to fulfill its commitment of full cooperation with the ICTY.
I strongly hope that the authorities in Belgrade will do their utmost to honor their declared commitment and fulfill all their obligations toward the Office of the Prosecutor so as to achieve full cooperation with the Tribunal.
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