OSCE Chairman welcomes arrest of Vlastimir Djordjevic, war crimes indictee

MADRID, 18 June 2007 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, welcomed today the arrest of war crimes indictee Vlastimir Djordjevic in Montenegro.

The arrest was the result of co-operation between the Montenegrin, Serbian and International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) authorities.

Retired Police General Djordjevic has been indicted by the ICTY for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed against Kosovo Albanians in 1999. He was Assistant Minister of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs and its Public Security Department Chief before and during the 1999 conflict.

According to the indictment, Djordjevic is held responsible for the expulsion of 800,000 and the killing of more than 700 ethnic Albanians in 1999.

"The arrest of Djordjevic is the second such apprehension in the past 20 days of remaining ICTY fugitives," said Minister Moratinos. "This is an encouraging sign, and the OSCE appeals to the authorities of Serbia, Montenegro and other concerned countries to continue co-operating with each other and the Tribunal until all ICTY fugitives are brought to justice."

Four ICTY indictees are still at large, including General Ratko Mladic and the Bosnian Serb wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic.