Security Council Press Statement on Arrest of Goran Hadžić

 

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Peter Wittig (Germany):

The members of the Security Council recall resolution 1993 (2011) and welcome the arrest on 20 July 2011 of Goran Hadžić, the final fugitive sought by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).  Goran Hadžić has been indicted by the ICTY for war crimes, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war.

The members of the Security Council recognize this is an important moment for international justice and for the victims of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia during the conflicts of the 1990s.  The members of the Security Council express their deepest sympathy for all those who suffered and who lost loved ones in those conflicts.

The members of the Security Council look forward to Goran Hadžić’s swift transfer to the Tribunal in The Hague.  The members of the Security Council hope that the arrest and transfer of Goran Hadžić will help bring the Western Balkans region closer to reconciliation and their European perspective.

The members of the Security Council commend the Serbian authorities on the arrest of Goran Hadžić and call for all parties to continue to cooperate with the ICTY and render to it all necessary assistance.

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For information media • not an official record