Germany Suggests Linking Aid to War Crimes Cooperation
Germany suggested Monday that Bosnian factions who fail to arrest suspected war criminals should be denied aid for rebuilding their part of the country.
“The terrible war crimes in former Yugoslavia must be atoned for, not simply swept under the carpet,” German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said in a statement.
“It may be necessary to link reconstruction aid with the prosecution of the war criminals,” he said.
Kinkel appealed to Bosnian Serbs, Croats and Muslims to honor their commitment in the Dayton, Ohio, peace accord to cooperate with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Murder, ethnic purges, mass rape and Srebrenica--the fallen “safe area” where Bosnian Serbs are suspected of slaughtering several thousand Muslims--must not be forgotten, Kinkel said.
The tribunal has charged Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic and Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic with genocide and crimes against humanity.
Kinkel said Mladic would also be held responsible if it is proven that two French fighter pilots the Serbs released last month were mistreated.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
