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Concern Over Failure to Resolve Issue of International Judges and Prosecutors

19 November 2009  At a meeting with Nikola Spiric, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and leaders of political parties, the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, PIC, called on the Bosnian authorities to speed up the implementation of the Strategy for the processing of war-crimes cases.

The State Strategy for War-Crimes Processing was adopted in December last year. It foresees the processing of all pending war-crimes cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the next seven to 15 years.

"The PIC expressed its serious concern over the fact that the failure to solve the issue of international judges and prosecutors by Bosnian authorities would have a negative effect on the entire judicial system, it would be in contradiction with the international obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina and disturb the realization of the Exit Strategy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia," the PIC communique issued after the meeting in Sarajevo on November 18 and 19 says.

The Exit Strategy stipulates that international judges and prosecutors should remain in Bosnia and Herzegovina until the end of 2009. Beyond that date the State Court and Prosecution would consist of local staff only. A proposed amendment to the Law on the Court and Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which foresaw the extension of their mandates, failed to be enacted by the State Parliament in October this year.

The PIC Steering Board called on the Bosnian authorities to increase financial support to the judicial system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus enabling the replacement of international legal experts by local judges and prosecutors.

"The PIC Steering Board calls on the High Representative to consider the future steps that may be undertaken in order to solve these issues," the meeting conclusions say. In addition, they stressed the need for "continuation of full cooperation" with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY.

"The competent authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are called on to continue their full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal by enabling the arrest of all people indicted by the Tribunal, including Ratko Mladic, with no further delays, and by destroying his support networks," the meeting conclusions say.

Mladic, former Commander of the General Headquarters of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, who is charged by the Hague Tribunal with genocide and crimes against humanity, is still on the run.

Besides the State Prime Minister, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the HDZ 1990, the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina, SBiH, the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, the Socialist Democratic Party, SDP, and the Party of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD.