Croatia war crimes ruling
Croatian acceptance of ruling and cooperation with tribunal crucial for EU membership process
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today found two former Croatian military leaders, Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, guilty of war crimes. Commenting on the ruling, Green MEP Marije Cornelissen said:
"Today's ruling by the ICTY is step towards providing justice for the heinous crimes committed by the Croatian forces in the Yugoslav war. There can be no justification for war crimes. How Croatia responds to the ruling has clear implications for the EU accession process and we hope the Croatian authorities and people will accept this ruling and continue constructive cooperation with the tribunal. Coming to terms with the past is a crucial step in the direction of Croatia's European future.
"The work of the ICTY is clearly not finished and Serbia must now step up its efforts to cooperate with The Hague. This means doing more to arrest and deliver prominent war criminals Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic to the tribunal."
