OSCE Mission welcomes transfer of General Pavkovic to the Hague tribunal

BELGRADE, 25 April 2005 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, has today welcomed the transfer of former Chief of Staff of the Yugoslav Army General Pavkovic, indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), to The Hague.

The Government of Serbia confirmed that General Pavkovic had volunteered to leave for The Hague today to face charges in connection with the actions of the Yugoslav Army during the Kosovo crisis in 1999.

"Completely fulfilling the international obligation to co-operate with the ICTY is first and foremost in the interest of Serbia and Montenegro and will help accelerate its integration into European and Euro-Atlantic institutions," said Ambassador Massari.

Such co-operation is crucial in order to create conditions for domestic war crimes trials in Serbia according to international standards, including the criteria and principles established by the ICTY. The OSCE Mission will continue to assist in developing the local institutional capacity in this area.