Croatia PM Meets US Ambassador for War Crimes

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor met the US ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, Stephen Rapp, and informed him about Croatia’s cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal.

Kosor and Rapp met in Zagreb on Sunday, and the Croatian premier informed the American ambassador that full cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal has been established and that Croatia had done everything requested to provide wartime artillery documents.

The documents have been requested by Serge Brammertz, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY. Brammertz believes they will provide key evidence for the trial of generals Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, indicted for crimes committed in 1995 in Krajina.

“We delivered what we found. As for the documents that weren’t found, we very clearly established, and informed the prosecutor and the tribunal, when they were made and who they ended up with. That’s what we had to do,” said Kosor.

“Although we think that in this case Croatia has done absolutely everything in terms of political will, which is indisputable … the task force will continue with its work,” she said, adding the task force is made up of more than 60 experts from various fields.

Kosor voiced confidence that Brammertz would acknowledge Croatia’s efforts after his visit, scheduled for this week.

Brammertz has made several visits to the region since May. In June he will submit his biannual report to the UN Security Council about the cooperation of the countries of the former Yugoslavia with the ICTY.

Previously, Brammertz visited Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

While in Croatia, the chief prosecutor will also participate in a conference of prosecutors from the region organised every year on Brioni island.

While in Belgrade, Brammertz said that the priority in cooperation remains the arrest of the remaining two fugitives, General Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadizic.

In Bosnia he visited Srebrenica for the first time since taking up the chief prosecutor’s post, and met with victims there.

The prosecutor will address the Security Council at the end of June when he delivers his report.