RFE/RL: excerpts from recent reports
Date: Sun, 11 May 97 22:29:40 -0500
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
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To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: RFE/RL: excerpts from recent reports
MINELRES moderator \ Internet: ([email protected])
Bosnia: Bosnian Serb Convicted Of 11 Out Of 31 War Crime Charges
The Hague, 7 May 1997 (RFE/RL) - A U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague
today convicted Bosnian Serb prison guard Dusan Tadic of 11 out of 31
atrocity charges. But the three-judge panel stopped short of finding that
his actions during the Bosnian war legally constituted murder.
In Sarajevo, a spokesman for Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic said that
Bosnian Muslims were disappointed by the partial guilty verdicts.
But, spokesman Mirza Hajric said the convictions for crimes against humanity
confirm accusations of the Bosnian government that the Bosnian Serb
leadership organized atrocities during the war.
Hajric said the Bosnians hope that Tadic's punishment will be appropriate.
The court is to sentence Tadic July 1. The Hague tribunal has no death
penalty. The verdict was the first resulting from an international war
crimes trial since Word War Two.
Tadic pleaded innocent to all charges, claiming he was a victim of mistaken
identity. He was found guilty of charges of beatings and a broad charge of
persecution, which included the killings of two policemen. His lawyer said
he will appeal.
1997 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Moldova: Yeltsin Hails Memorandum On Dniestr Settlement
Moscow, 8 May 1997 (RFE/RL) - Russian President Boris Yeltsin is hailing a
memorandum on relations between Moldova and the breakaway region of Dniestr
as "a major stride forward." But Yeltsin warns that not all problems have
been solved.
The memorandum was signed earlier today by Moldovan President Petru
Lucinschi and Dniestr leader Igor Smirnov. Yeltsin, Ukrainian President
Leonid Kuchma and Niels Helveg Petersen, acting head of the OSCE, also
signed it as guarantors.
The memorandum says the two sides agree to build their relations "within the
framework of a single state" within Soviet-era borders. The status of the
breakaway Dniestr region is left unclear and subject to further negotiations
. The two sides pledged to resume negotiations to draw up a final document.
The memorandum also paves the way for the withdrawal of the some 6,500
Russian peacekeepers in the region. Interfax quotes Yeltsin as saying that
Russia is ready to withdraw the troops "at any moment" but the go-ahead must
be given by Moldovan and Dniestr leaders.
1997 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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