Luxembourg, 14/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - At the end of her meeting with the Justice Ministers of the Fifteen, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR), Carla del Ponte, reiterated her appeals to France and the United Kingdom to arrest and judge people indicted for crimes in the war in Rwanda. Over and above the major war criminals judged by the International Tribunal, "there are thousands of lesser criminals" that need judging, and some are present in Belgium, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom, she declared in Luxembourg on Monday. Belgium and Switzerland have dealt with these cases, the others must do so too, she added. She also placed emphasis on the fact that these types of criminal must be judged by national tribunals for crimes committed in former Yugoslavia, by Bosnian tribunals, for example.
Carla del Ponte was taking part in the lunch of the Justice Ministers of the Fifteen, who, on that occasion, broached the question of co-operation between EU national courts and third countries with the ICTY and ICTR. Carla del Ponte said she was very satisfied at being able to come and explain these problems in detail to the ministers. She placed emphasis on the problem of fugitives, and the eternal problem of the two war criminals Ratko Mladic and Rodovan Karadzic, still at large. If they are still free, it is "because of a lack of political will", she declared. If Slobodan Milosevic can be arrested, why not Mladic, she added.
According to the President-in-Office of the Council, Lene Espersen, over lunch there was no question of the European stance on the American request of having its citizens exempted from the competencies of the International Criminal Court.