[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 97 (Friday, June 27, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CERTIFICATION OF ASSISTANCE TO SERBIA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Department of State 
last week made its determination to certify compliance by the 
Government of Serbia and Montenegro with the terms of section 578 of 
the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution (P.L. 108-7). This section 
conditions certain bilateral assistance to Serbia on progress in three 
areas, although by far the most critical being cooperation with the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
  I agree with the Department's assessment that progress has been made, 
especially since March. In particular, I welcomed action earlier this 
month by the Serbian authorities to apprehend Veselin Svjilancanin, 
indicted by the Tribunal for the 1991 massacre near Vukovar in Croatia. 
Although there was resistance, this action was a success and signaled 
what is perhaps a new determination by Belgrade to transfer all 
remaining indictees. Having been in Vukovar, along with my good friend 
and colleague Mr. Wolf, just before the city fell to Serb forces, I am 
glad to see all three indicted by the Tribunal for this crime will be 
tried in The Hague.
  Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the Department's 
determination was the wrong one to make. While progress has been made, 
it remains insufficient. Still at large and believed to have been in 
Serbia are several other persons, including Ratko Mladic and others--
Ljubisa Beara, Vujadin Popovic, Ljubomir Borovcanin, Vinko Pandurevic 
and Drago Nikolic--indicted by the Tribunal for their connection to the 
1995 Srebrenica massacre in which thousands of innocent people were 
executed.
  I am concerned, deeply concerned, that these individuals will 
continue to evade justice while officials in Belgrade may get the 
impression they have done enough. Clearly, they have not. Mr. Speaker, 
I would urge Serbian authorities to take the action necessary to remove 
``cooperation with the Tribunal'' as an outstanding issue in our 
bilateral relationship. In doing so, they will also continue to help 
Serbia emerge from Slobodan Milosevic's legacy of nationalist hatred.
  In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, I also urge the State Department to use 
remaining levers to encourage not just better, but full, cooperation 
with the Tribunal, which Secretary Powell had assured Mr. Cardin and 
myself in correspondence was a position we all shared. The crimes which 
occurred were too severe and too horrendous to allow those responsible 
to escape justice.

                          ____________________