THE NETHERLANDS/CROATIA: 10 WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS ARRIVE IN THE HAGUE скачать в хорошем качестве

THE NETHERLANDS/CROATIA: 10 WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS ARRIVE IN THE HAGUE

(6 Oct 1997) English/Nat Ten Croatian war crimes suspects, who surrendered to face charges before the International war crimes tribunal, have arrived at The Hague. The group includes one of the tribunal's most wanted men - leading Bosnian Croat politician Dario Kordic. Monday's announcement in Croatia that ten war crimes suspects had handed themselves over to the international community to stand trial is considered a major coup. They arrived at the Tribunal's detention centre on Monday. There's been increasing pressure on Croatian President Franjo Tudjman to organise the handover of suspects to The Hague tribunal. The Bosnian Croats proclaim their innocence, but say they want to clear their names. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Ladies and gentlemen, a group of indicted Croats from central Bosnia, this morning voluntarily leaves for the Hague with a clear conscience before God and the Croatian people. In order to prove their innocence in the interests of the overall Croatian people and the Croatian state that is subject to enormous unjust pressures of the international community. As citizens of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatian citizens, we have come to the Republic of Croatia and voluntarily turned ourselves in to the Croatian authorities trusting that President Tudjman and the Croatian government will be a guarantee of a fair and speedy trial before the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague. We will endure all this as we have endured everything so far and return with our heads raised." SUPER CAPTION: Translator repeating Dario Kordic's statement Dario Kordic was the leader of the Bosnian branch of Tudjman's Croatian Democratic Union political party. He's charged with commanding Bosnian Croat troops who rampaged through at least 14 towns in the Lasva Valley of central Bosnia, murdering Muslims and torching homes during the 1993 Croat-Muslim war in central Bosnia. They had been trying to negotiate their surrender for months, but wanted assurances that they would get quick trials. The United States made that pledge late last week, and the Croatian government has said that promise was instrumental in negotiating the surrender. U-S envoy Robert Gelbard was at the airport where a Dutch plane was ready to take the suspects to The Hague. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Overall cooperation with the Tribunal by the parties until today has been disappointing. Today's very positive developments signals a new determination by the Croatian government and Bosnian Croat leaders in the Federation to fulfil their responsibilities with regard to implementation of the Dayton peace accords." SUPER CAPTION: Robert Gelbard, U-S envoy But he reiterated the international community's warning to those Serb suspects still roaming free. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The failure of Belgrade and Pale to comply with their obligations under Dayton on war crimes stands in stark contrast to the events of today. Serb indictees headed by Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic, Milan Martic - among others - remain at large. This is unacceptable and will not be allowed to stand." SUPER CAPTION: Robert Gelbard, U-S envoy A total of 77 war crimes suspects, most of them Serbs, have been publicly indicted. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...