Summary: June 28, 2004: EU Press Release. Chris Patten supports Lord Ashdown on measures to promote compliance with ICTY in Bosnia and Herzgovina (New York)
"I strongly support the measures taken today by EU Special Representative and High Representative Paddy Ashdown to help ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina cooperates fully with the ICTY in The Hague.
It is a scandal that nearly a decade after the war, the authorities in Republika Srpska have not arrested a single person indicted for war crimes. For Bosnia and Herzegovina to come to terms with its tragic past and move on, Radovan Karadzic and other indictees must go to The Hague to face justice.
The European Commission's Feasibility Study for BiH made very clear that full co-operation with the ICTY, particularly on the part of the RS, is a fundamental requirement if BiH is to move towards the European Union.
I now call on leaders in Republika Srpska to put the interests of their citizens first. They must take urgent steps, including measures to strengthen BiH's law enforcement and security structures, to ensure that the remaining fugitives from international justice are rapidly handed over to the jurisdiction of the ICTY."
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