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Chairman,
I
am speaking on behalf of the International Helsinki Federation for
Human Rights (IHF) and the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights
in Serbia, based in Belgrade.
For
years our organizations have supported the work of the International
Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), working with human
rights non-governmental organizations in Serbia, Croatia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo to promote the work of the Tribunal and
help convince state officials and the public that the normalization of
the region will only be possible if the issue of war crimes is
addressed.
Closer
relations and cooperation between Yugoslavia and European structures,
the United States, and the OSCE are developing rapidly.
We
want to use this occasion to urge the governments of the OSCE to
insist on cooperation with the Tribunal as a condition for
reintegration. To do otherwise would be to legitimate the process of
denial that has destroyed the spirit of the Serbian people and will
continue to do so if OSCE states do not adhere to the fundamental
principle that justice is not subject to political expediency.
Like
most cliches, the saying "There can be no peace without
justice" is true.
During
the campaign for the presidency of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
we urged that this issue be debated. And after the election of
Vojislav Kostunica we wrote to him, urging full cooperation with the
ICTY.
Those
indicted for war crimes must be extradited to The Hague now, in
this moment of fresh possibilities. There is now a chance for Serbia
and Yugoslavia to enter on a new course with regard to justice and
human rights, and dealing with responsibility. But there is an even
stronger chance that Serbia and the OSCE political community will lose
the chance by equivocating on this issue.
We
in the human rights community need you, in positions of political
influence and responsibility, to be strong; to resist the voices of
equivocation and expediency. Otherwise Serbia may lose its chance
truly to join this community of values.
Thank
you for your attention to our appeal.
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