Secretary Albright Remarks On Arkan Killing

Albright On Arkan Killing

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman (Panama City, Panama)

For Immediate Release

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT

Panama City, Panama January 15, 2000

I noted the reports today of the apparent killing of indicted war criminal Zeljko Raznjatovic, known as "Arkan."

Arkan was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for The Former Yugoslavia on September 30, 1997. There is an international warrant for his arrest that has been ignored by the Serbian Government. The surrender or apprehension of Arkan has long been sought by the Tribunal and has been a priority of the United States Government.

We also note that yesterday the Tribunal convicted five individuals for the crimes committed in the Bosnian town of Ahmici in April 1993. We believe this demonstrates the continued significance of the International Criminal Tribunal for The Former Yugoslavia and the hard work it has undertaken at the request of the international community.

The United States will continue to support, in cooperation with the Tribunal and other governments, the objective of bringing all indicted individuals into custody in The Hague to stand trial before the Tribunal.

We take no satisfaction in Arkan's murder and would have wanted him to stand trial in The Hague for his crimes. Arkan is the second indictee to have been murdered in Serbia in the past two years.

The United States calls on all indicted war criminals to surrender voluntarily. All will receive a fair trial in The Hague. (###)

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