U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING ROOM, WASHINGTON, D.C.
12:41 P.M. EDT, THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002
STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR BRIEFING
RICHARD BOUCHER, DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN
General Ojdanic surrendered today in a peaceful and dignified manner
to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
We applaud his courageous decision and his show of leadership. We
urge all the persons indicted for war crimes to follow his example.
General Ojdanic is the former chief of the General Staff of the
Yugoslav Army. He's been indicted along with Slobodan Milosevic
for his alleged role in the campaign of terror and violence against
Kosovo Albanians in 1999. This resulted, as we remember, in the
forced deportation of approximately 740,000 Kosovars, Kosovo Albanian
civilians, according to the indictment.
We are encouraged that the authorities in Belgrade are working to
improve their cooperation with the Hague tribunal. Further necessary
steps are for the Yugoslav government to take remaining indictees
into custody and transfer them to the Hague as soon as possible.
All persons indicted for war crimes, including Ratko Mladic and
Radovan Karadzic, must answer the charges against them. So while
we see this as a positive step on the part of the individual in
answering the charges and coming to the Hague to answer the charges
peacefully and in a dignified manner as well as on the part of the
government of Yugoslavia for facilitating this, at this point we've
not made any further decisions with regard to certification. We're
looking for the kind of concrete cooperation, including access and
transfer.
At this point, for somebody who's indicted and wanted to stand up
and say, "I'm going to go face some charges -- I'm going to
get on an airplane, go to the Hague, present myself and argue whatever
there is to argue, defend myself there" -- that's the right
thing to do. We recognize it's a difficult thing for an individual
to do, but it's the right thing to do. And so he's done the right
thing, and I think that deserves a little bit of credit. And we
would hope that he is a leader and that others would follow and
do the same thing.
We want all the indictees to be in the Hague one way or the other,
and the best way to get there is on your own.
STEJT DEPARTMENT
KANCELARIJA ZA BRIFING STEJT DEPARTMENTA
12:41, ČETVRTAK, 25. APRIL 2002.
REDOVNI BRIFING STEJT DEPARTMENTA
RIČARD BAUČER, PORTPAROL STEJT DEPARTMENTA
General Ojdanić predao se danas, na miran i dostojanstven način, Međunarodnom
krivičnom sudu za bivšu Jugoslaviju. Mi pozdravljamo njegovu hrabru
odluku i pokazivanje liderskih sposobnosti. Pozivamo sve druge osobe,
optužene za ratne zločine, da slede njegov primer. General Ojdanić je
bivši Načelnik Generalštaba Vojske Jugoslavije. On je optužen, zajedno
sa Slobodanom Miloševićem, za njegovu navodnu ulogu u kampanji terora
i nasilja protiv Kosovskih Albanaca 1999. godine. Prema navodima optužnice,
kao što se sećamo, rezultat je bila prisilna deportacija oko 740,000
Kosovara, Kosovskih Albanaca civila.
Mi smo ohrabreni činjenicom da vlasti u Beogradu rade na poboljšanju
saradnje sa Haškim tribunalom. Dalji neophodni koraci za Jugoslovensku
Vladu su da preostale optuženike pritvore i pošalju ih u Hag što je
pre moguće. Sve osobe optužene za ratne zločine, uključujući Ratka Mladića
i Radovana Karadžića, moraju da odgovoraju za optužbe podignute protiv
njih. Iako ovo posmatramo delom kao pozitivan korak od strane pojedinaca
u smeru odgovaranja na optužbe i dolaženja u Hag na miran i dostojanstven
način, a delom kao korak Vlade Jugoslavije da se to olakša, u ovom trenutku
još uvek nismo doneli nikakvu odluku u pogledu sertifikacije. Mi očekujemo
oblik konkretne saradnje, uključujući pristup i transfer.
U ovom trenutku, za nekoga ko je optužen i ko želi da istupi i kaže,
"Suočiću se sa optužbama - - Ukrcaću se na avion, otići ću u Hag,
predstaviti se i raspravljati o bilo čemu treba da se raspravlja, i
braniću sebe tamo." - - to je prava stvar koja treba da se uradi.
Mi shvatamo da je pojedincu teško da to uradi, ali to je ispravna svar
koju treba uraditi. On je uradio ispravnu stvar i smatram da to zaslužuje
bar malo priznanja. Mi se nadamo da je on predvodnik i da će ga ostali
pratiti i uraditi isto.
Mi želimo da se svi optuženici, na jedan ili drugi način nađu u Hagu,
i najbolji način je da tamo sami otputuju.
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