Strasbourg, 04/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - The President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Peter Scheider, has issued the following declaration: "Pressure from the United States administration to close down the two International Criminal Tribunals in The Hague and in Arusha is unacceptable. It represents political interference in a judicial process aimed at seeking justice for the hundreds of thousands of victims of the crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Criticism of the cost and efficiency of the two tribunals, expressed by US Ambassador-at-large Pierre-Richard Prosper during his testimony before the US Congress yesterday, should be carefully considered by the competent United Nations bodies. However, it remains clear that, also in the future, the worst war crimes and crimes against humanity must be tried in an international court. Leaving their prosecution to domestic tribunals, as suggested by Ambassador Prosper, could amount to asking the perpetrators to put themselves on trial. The special courts set up by the US administration to try suspected international terrorists, without many of the legal safeguards provided by the US legal system and international law, do not represent a viable alternative either. The Tribunals in The Hague and in Arusha should be allowed to administer justice without any outside interference. Any decision on possible sharing of their work with domestic courts or the future International Criminal Tribunal is to be made by them and them alone."