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Croatian Committee to Increase Cooperation with Tribunal Nation acts after being pressured by Council of Europe
ZAGREB, July 4 (Reuters) - Croatia, which is under Western pressure to hand over war crimes suspects, formed a high-powered committee on Thursday to supervise cooperation with the U.N. tribunal in The Hague.
The panel will carry out "expert and administrative tasks" under a law passed in April allowing the extradition of Croatian citizens, the state news agency HINA reported.
Despite many pledges to cooperate Croatia has failed to extradite suspects, saying they lived in Bosnia, beyond the reach of Croatian police. One of them, Dario Kordic, was recently seen at a concert in southern Bosnia, sitting in the first row near Croatian President Franjo Tudjman.
Zagreb's lack of cooperation with the Tribunal was one of the reasons Croatia's bid for admission to the Council of Europe was shelved in May. The committee includes Defence Minister Gojko Susak, Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Justice Minister Miroslav Separovic and Deputy Prime Minister Ljerka Mintas Hodak, the agency said.
The war crimes tribunal was set up by the U.N. Security Council in 1993 to deal with atrocities committed during the war that followed Croatia's and Bosnia's seccesion from federal Yugoslavia.
It has so far indicted 75 men, including 18 Bosnian Croats, but holds only seven in its cells in The Hague. Its top two suspects, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his army commander General Ratko Mladic, remain at large. |
Berserkistan, July 3 · Council of Europe Urges Croatia to Abide by Dayton Deal
Berserkistan, June 15 · Tudjman: EU Favors Slovenia, Discriminating Against Croatia
Berserkistan, June 7 · Croatia Must Surrender War Criminals to Join the Council
Berserkistan, May 25 · Tudjman: Euro Status Conditions are 'Humiliating'
Berserkistan, May 17 · After European Snub, Croatia Promises More Democracy
Berserkistan, May 16 · Europe's Rejection of Croatia Dismays Croats Seeking Democracy
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