Clinton Supports Permanent U.N. Tribunal on War Crimes

President Clinton declared his support Sunday for a standing U.N. tribunal to prosecute war crimes, saying that the diligent punishment of such offenses is the swiftest route to restoring peace.

Addressing a symposium on the 50th anniversary of the Nuremberg war-crimes courts, Clinton pledged U.S. financial backing to tribunals such as the ones now looking into crimes committed during warfare in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Rwanda.

Such a permanent court would be “the ultimate tribute to the people who did such important work at Nuremberg,” he said, referring to the two-year proceedings that prosecuted Nazi war criminals.

Clinton said bringing war criminals to justice for “crimes against humanity” is the best way to lift collective guilt and rebuild war-torn societies.

The United States has been a principal backer of international war-crimes courts and has given $16 million to the Bosnia and Rwanda tribunals. But Clinton’s remarks Sunday were the first time he has personally supported establishing a standing court.

The U.N. General Assembly expects to convene a conference next spring at which the international community may finally agree--after years of failure--on the creation of a permanent court.

In its search for peace in the Balkans, the Clinton Administration has muted its criticism of Bosnian Serb and Serbian leaders who have been accused of war crimes in that conflict.

Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, considered the architect of the Balkan conflict, is expected to be welcomed as a statesman for peace talks planned for the end of the month in the United States.

Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and army commander Gen. Ratko Mladic, who will play an important but less visible role in the peace negotiations, have been indicted by the U.N. tribunal.

On Sunday, Clinton sought to portray his Administration as unwavering in pursuit of the guilty, saying the world must press such cases even if they risk disrupting the search for peace.