WAR CRIMES ROUNDTABLE HIGHLIGHTS CROSS-

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000188

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DOJ FOR ALEXANDRE

E.O. 12958; N/A
TAGS: KCRM ICTY PGOV PREL SR
SUBJECT: WAR CRIMES ROUNDTABLE HIGHLIGHTS CROSS-
BORDER COOPERATION


Sensitive But Unclassified, Please Handle
Accordingly.


1. (SBU) Summary: A war crimes conference held
in Belgrade to commemorate the second anniversary
of the 2005 signing of the Croatia-Serbia MOU on
war crimes cooperation highlighted the
significant achievements that have been made
since the MOU in establishing cooperation and
cross-border collaboration as well as recognizing
needed improvements. In a political climate
dominated by coalition negotiations and Kosovo
status, news related to domestic prosecutions may
be the best vehicle to ensure that war crimes
issues are kept in the public eye in the coming
months. End summary.


2. (U) On February 5 at Belgrade's Sava Center,
war crimes prosecutors from Serbia, Croatia, and
Bosnia met with representatives from various
entities including the OSCE, UNDP, ICTY, local
embassies, journalists and various humanitarian
associations to mark the second anniversary of
the signing of the Croatia-Serbia MOU on
implementation and promotion of cooperation in
fighting all forms of serious crime. An estimated
audience of fifty listened to remarks by war
crimes prosecutors and deputy chief state
prosecutors from each of the three republics as
well as the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia,
and screened a short documentary film entitled
"Justice in the Region".


3. (U) The conference focused on achievements
since the MOU signing and the ongoing cross-
border collaboration among the three republics.
Representatives agreed that the MOU established
positive neighborly relations for the western
Balkan region and has been extremely useful in
providing a solid foundation for cooperation and
accountability between Serbia, Croatia, and
Bosnia. The program also highlighted improvements
needed to increase efficiency and turnaround time
in the justice system. Topping this list is a
need for better collection and exchange of
technical data in order to ensure efficient
information sharing. Attendees also noted lack of
qualified staff to handle the workloads in the
war crimes offices.


4. (SBU) Comment: This roundtable was a good
exchange on the substance of cross-border
collaboration in domestic war crimes
prosecutions, though it also shed light on
inefficiencies. More importantly, though, it kept
war crimes in the public eye. Given the total
lack of action under the government's ICTY
"Action Plan", the political instability created
by coalition negotiations, and the domination of
the political agenda by the Kosovo issue,
domestic prosecutions will be a useful - and
perhaps unique - vehicle for ensuring war crimes
issues are not swept under the rug in the coming
months.

POLT