[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[August 3, 2001]
[Pages 942-943]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Bringing War Criminals to Justice
August 3, 2001

    I welcome today's transfer to the U.N. International Tribunal for 
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of three military officers accused of war 
crimes by the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This decision, like 
similar decisions by the Governments in Croatia and Yugoslavia, shows 
that the democratic governments of the region are taking seriously their 
international obligations and the need to make a break from the violence 
and atrocities of the past.
    I also welcome the decision of the Tribunal convicting General 
Radislav Krstic of genocide in the 1995 
massacre of Muslims from Srebrenica. I welcome and fully support the 
Tribunal's judgment. Those who commit war crimes must face justice. As I 
said in Kosovo, we must not allow difference to be a license to kill and 
vulnerability an excuse to dominate.
    These two important steps advance the cause of justice but also help 
to consolidate

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peace and promote rule of law. They bring closer to reality our vision 
in which the countries of the Balkans are part of a Europe that is 
whole, free, and at peace.