Security Council Press Statement on Arrest of Ratko Mladić

 

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gérard Araud ( France):

The members of the Security Council welcome the arrest on 26 May 2011 of Ratko Mladić, indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for genocide, complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Srebrenica.  They congratulate the Serbian authorities on the arrest, which is a clear demonstration of cooperation from the Government of Serbia with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1931 (2010) as well as other Security Council resolutions.  The members of the Security Council welcome Serbia’s intention to ensure the swift transfer of Ratko Mladić to the Tribunal in The Hague.

The members of the Security Council express their deepest sympathy for all those who suffered and who lost loved ones in the former Yugoslavia during the conflicts of the 1990s.  The members of the Security Council share the hope that the detention and transfer of Ratko Mladić will help to bring the Western Balkans region closer to reconciliation and to their European perspective.

The members of the Security Council welcome President [Boris] Tadić’s stated commitment to the continuing search for Goran Hadžić, the last fugitive from the Tribunal, and agree that this should remain a key priority for the Serbian Government.

The members of the Security Council reiterate their commitment to ensure that there is no impunity for perpetrators of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.

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For information media • not an official record