Commissioner Rehn wants Croatia to cooperate fully with Hague War Crimes Tribunal

Olli Rehn

print this

The European Enlargement Commissioner, Finland's Olli Rehn, is calling on Croatia to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
      During a weekend visit to the Croatian capital Zagreb, where he met with the country's leaders, Rehn pointed out that the EU has a clause, under which membership talks can be stopped if Croatia does not continue full cooperation with the tribunal in The Hague.
      The EU put the Croatian membership project on hold, because the tribunal in The Hague suspected that the government was helping suspected war criminal, General Ante Gotovina, evade capture.
      On Monday last week the EU agreed to resume membership talks with Croatia after Austria set the move as a condition to its agreeing to agree to holding membership talks with Turkey.
      Carla del Ponte, the main prosecutor in The Hague, said on the same Monday that Croatia was again cooperating fully with the court. On the previous Friday, however, del Ponte expressed disappointment that Gotovina had not been apprehended.
      Rehn insisted that del Ponte had not been pressured to give a positive statement. He also said that The Hague was not disappointed with the Croatian government, but rather with the fact that the war crimes suspect was still at large.
      The Commissioner said further that Carla del Ponte is very independent, who has had experience as a prosecutor in Mafia cases, and later in war crimes trials, and that she would not be easily persuaded to make statements she does not believe herself.
     
The EU will begin its membership talks with Turkey and Croatia on the 20th of this month, after which bilateral discussions with both applicant countries will begin with a review of national legislation.
      On Saturday evening Rehn joined Croatian President Stejpan Mesic and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to watch the Croatian national football team defeat Sweden 1-0.
      Sanader said that he expects Croatia to be in the EU in 2008. Rehn advised the Prime Minister to leave such speculation to the betting shops.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland to have initial responsibility for Turkey EU membership talks (5.10.2005)
  Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn: It all depends on Turkey (28.8.2005)

Links:
  International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

Helsingin Sanomat