[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12488]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



          EXTRADICTION OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC TO THE U.N. ICTY

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to commend the authorities 
of Serbia for, at long last, handing over Slobodan Milosevic to the 
International Criminal Tribunal. It is ironic, and perhaps fitting, 
that his arrest and transfer to the international court took place on 
June 28--one of the most noted dates in Serb history, when in 1389 the 
Serbs were defeated at the battle of Kosovo Polje, ushering in a period 
of Ottoman Turkish rule. It is my hope that future generations of Serbs 
will remember June 28, 2001 with the same sense of historic importance 
and as the beginning of true and long-lasting democracy and respect for 
the rule of law.
  Mr. Milosevic has been charged by an independent, impartial, 
international criminal tribunal with crimes against humanity and 
violations of the laws or customs of war against the ethnic Albanian 
population of Kosovo. And according to the Prosecutor of the Tribunal, 
we can expect more indictments against him for earlier crimes in 
Croatia and Bosnia.
  His extradition to the Hague is historic, if long overdue. As a 
former head of state, there were many who believed that he would never 
be made to answer for the charges against him. That this day finally 
came underscores the commitment of the international community to 
investigating and prosecuting individuals for war crimes. And it sets 
an important precedent in international law; namely, that the Geneva 
Conventions and their Protocols will be upheld and enforced regardless 
of one's position or influence. The message in all of this is clear and 
inspiring: with patience and perseverance, democracy and the rule of 
law will prevail.
  Serbian Prime Minister Djindjic deserves praise for his leadership on 
this issue and for recognizing that if Serbia wants to join the 
democratic family of nations, then it must uphold and respect the rule 
of law. Many others have contributed their efforts over the years 
leading up to this historic day and deserve mention: former Secretary 
of State Madeleine Albright, U.S. Ambassador-at-large for War Crimes, 
David Scheffer, and ICTY Prosecutors Justice Louise Arbour and Carla 
Del Ponte, to name just a few.
  The wars that tore apart the former Yugoslavia--and which threaten 
Macedonia today--were largely, although not exclusively, of Mr. 
Milosevic's doing. He fomented extreme ethnic nationalism and unleashed 
his army and special police forces on the civilian populations of 
Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Millions of people were driven from their 
homes and more than a quarter of a million are believed to have died. 
For his policies he earned himself the name, ``the Butcher of 
Belgrade.'' His victims deserve accountability and his former citizens 
deserve to know what was done in their name.
  It must be stressed that the Serb people are not on trial; only Mr. 
Milosevic. The United States seeks friendship and partnership with all 
of the people of the former Yugoslavia. Our presence and contributions 
at the donor's conference are evidence of our intentions.
  Yet while we welcome yesterday's developments, we must also not 
forget that 26 accused remain on the run, most of them in Bosnia and 
Serbia. I call on the accused to turn themselves over to the 
jurisdiction of the Tribunal to answer the charges against them without 
further delay. It is the honorable thing to do. But failing this, the 
local authorities must take swift and decisive action, if necessary, 
with the support of international peacekeeping troops, to deliver these 
fugitives from justice to the court in the Hague. There will never be 
long-lasting peace and stability in the region so long as these 
individuals remain on the run. The fact that they have evaded justice 
for so long--in the case of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic it's 
already six year's--makes a mockery of justice and it must end.

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