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(E) Bush and tribunal in Wall Street Journal
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6786/1/E-Bush-and-tribunal-in-Wall-Street-Journal.html
By Nenad N. Bach
Published on 03/3/2002
 
 
Bush Seeks To Rein In U.N. Courts 
 
U.S. Wants Timetable To Close Tribunals, Citing Some Abuses 
 
By Jess BRAVIN 
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 
 
WASHINGTON-The Bush administration is seeking a firm timetable for shutting 
down United Nations war crimes tribunals, saying they have been marred by 
instances of mismanagement and abuse that "challenge the integrity of the 
process." 
One U.N. court is trying Slobodan Milosevic and other alleged Yugoslav war 
criminals, and another alleged Rwandan war criminals. The U.S. wants future 
prosecutions handled by each country's own domestic justice system, as soon 
as current high-profile cases are completed. 
That view will be detailed today when the administration's top war-crimes 
official testifies before a House committee hearing on the tribunals. The 
U.S. position has escalated a conflict with its major allies, which favor 
expanding the reach of international tribunals; they plan to expand the U.N. 
's reach by replacing the ad hoc panels with a permanent International 
Criminal Court for war crimes. 
The divide existed before Sept. 11; Washington traditionally has resisted 
international institutions that potentially might try to exercise 
jurisdiction over the U.S. 
But the difference has grown sharper following the terrorist attacks, with 
the U.S. vigorously opposing any move that suggests -as some European 
leaders have-that alleged perpetrators of international terrorism would best 
be tried by international panels rather than in U.S. courts. 
"We want to bring ownership of the process back to the people, .because that 
is the only way the rule of law will become truly ingrained in a society," 
said Pierre-Richard. Prosper, the U.S. ambassador at large for war-crimes 
issues. The U.S., he said, is prepared "to provide economic. technical, 
legal and logistical support," to help improve domestic court systems, but 
the amount has yet to be decided. Mr. Prosper is expected to testify today 
before the House International Relations Committee. 
While the current tribunals have done some good work, he said-and together 
have indicted 193 suspects- "we don't want to create an environment where 
there is a dependency on international institutions." 
European officials said they don't understand why the Bush administration 
is raising the rhetoric in the midst of the most notorious case since 
Nuremburg: the trial of Mr. Milosevic for crimes against humanity while 
serving as Serbia's president in the 1990s. 
 
"Undermining the credibility of the U.N. tribunal when we are at the 
pinnacle of its accomplishment is suicidal," said a European diplomat. 
In November, the war crimes prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, told the U.N. 
Security Council that she hoped to wrap up trials by 2007. But the Bush 
administration believes that date can never be met if Ms. Ponte pursues 
dozens of new investigations involving 150 additional suspects that she also 
told the Security Council she intended to pursue. 
"We want her to focus on the leaden. the architects, the kingpins" of 
genocide, Mr. Prosper said, while prosecutions of "mid and lower level 
players" should be delegated to national courts. 
The turning point for U.S. officials may come if the two most wanted 
fugitives, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, are turned over to the 
tribunal. The two former Bosnian Serb leaders have been indicted on genocide 
charges for the killings of Bosnian Muslims In the mid 1990s. 
The Rwanda and Yugoslavia tribunals have moved too slowly, and have "been 
too removed from everyday experiences of the people and the victims," Mr. 
Prosper said. They have been costly, with annual budgets of $100 million 
each, and have faced questions about "the integrity of the process," he 
said. Earlier this month. the Rwanda tribunal dismissed a defense attorney, 
after allegations he inflated his bills and split his fees with a defendant. 
Similar problems have "plagued both tribunals," Mr. Prosper said. 
While there have been problems, "people should keep in mind that the NATO 
countries spent in one year [of military operations in Yugoslavia, 1999, the 
equivalent of 200 years of the Yugoslav tribunal budget," said William Pace, 
who heads the Coalition for an International Criminal Court, an advocacy 
group that supports U.N. tribunals for war crimes. 
The remedy advocated by the Bush administration is strengthening the 
domestic justice system in Rwanda, Yugoslavia and other countries. In 
Yugoslavia, that means building up conventional courts, while in Rwanda the 
approach may involve using the country's traditional "gacaca" system, with 
tribal elders dispensing justice to lower level perpetrators. "The penalty 
may he, 'Now you need to give two cows, or you need to farm the land of 
these people,' " said Mr. Prosper, a former assistant U.S. attorn ey who 
himself led a successful prosecution for genocide at the Rwanda tribunal in 
1998. 
But most EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization members are movingin the 
opposite direction, by establishing the International Criminal Court. The 
ICe treaty-signed by President Clinton in the last weeks of his term but 
never sent to the Senate for approval - has been ratified by 52 countries. 
including Britain, Canada and Germany. Should eight more follow, as 
proportents expect this year. the ICC will begin operation in The Hague, 
where Rwanda and Yugoslavia tribunals are based. 
 
 
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please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! 

(E) Bush and tribunal in Wall Street Journal
 
Bush Seeks To Rein In U.N. Courts 
 
U.S. Wants Timetable To Close Tribunals, Citing Some Abuses 
 
By Jess BRAVIN 
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 
 
WASHINGTON-The Bush administration is seeking a firm timetable for shutting 
down United Nations war crimes tribunals, saying they have been marred by 
instances of mismanagement and abuse that "challenge the integrity of the 
process." 
One U.N. court is trying Slobodan Milosevic and other alleged Yugoslav war 
criminals, and another alleged Rwandan war criminals. The U.S. wants future 
prosecutions handled by each country's own domestic justice system, as soon 
as current high-profile cases are completed. 
That view will be detailed today when the administration's top war-crimes 
official testifies before a House committee hearing on the tribunals. The 
U.S. position has escalated a conflict with its major allies, which favor 
expanding the reach of international tribunals; they plan to expand the U.N. 
's reach by replacing the ad hoc panels with a permanent International 
Criminal Court for war crimes. 
The divide existed before Sept. 11; Washington traditionally has resisted 
international institutions that potentially might try to exercise 
jurisdiction over the U.S. 
But the difference has grown sharper following the terrorist attacks, with 
the U.S. vigorously opposing any move that suggests -as some European 
leaders have-that alleged perpetrators of international terrorism would best 
be tried by international panels rather than in U.S. courts. 
"We want to bring ownership of the process back to the people, .because that 
is the only way the rule of law will become truly ingrained in a society," 
said Pierre-Richard. Prosper, the U.S. ambassador at large for war-crimes 
issues. The U.S., he said, is prepared "to provide economic. technical, 
legal and logistical support," to help improve domestic court systems, but 
the amount has yet to be decided. Mr. Prosper is expected to testify today 
before the House International Relations Committee. 
While the current tribunals have done some good work, he said-and together 
have indicted 193 suspects- "we don't want to create an environment where 
there is a dependency on international institutions." 
European officials said they don't understand why the Bush administration 
is raising the rhetoric in the midst of the most notorious case since 
Nuremburg: the trial of Mr. Milosevic for crimes against humanity while 
serving as Serbia's president in the 1990s. 
 
"Undermining the credibility of the U.N. tribunal when we are at the 
pinnacle of its accomplishment is suicidal," said a European diplomat. 
In November, the war crimes prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, told the U.N. 
Security Council that she hoped to wrap up trials by 2007. But the Bush 
administration believes that date can never be met if Ms. Ponte pursues 
dozens of new investigations involving 150 additional suspects that she also 
told the Security Council she intended to pursue. 
"We want her to focus on the leaden. the architects, the kingpins" of 
genocide, Mr. Prosper said, while prosecutions of "mid and lower level 
players" should be delegated to national courts. 
The turning point for U.S. officials may come if the two most wanted 
fugitives, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, are turned over to the 
tribunal. The two former Bosnian Serb leaders have been indicted on genocide 
charges for the killings of Bosnian Muslims In the mid 1990s. 
The Rwanda and Yugoslavia tribunals have moved too slowly, and have "been 
too removed from everyday experiences of the people and the victims," Mr. 
Prosper said. They have been costly, with annual budgets of $100 million 
each, and have faced questions about "the integrity of the process," he 
said. Earlier this month. the Rwanda tribunal dismissed a defense attorney, 
after allegations he inflated his bills and split his fees with a defendant. 
Similar problems have "plagued both tribunals," Mr. Prosper said. 
While there have been problems, "people should keep in mind that the NATO 
countries spent in one year [of military operations in Yugoslavia, 1999, the 
equivalent of 200 years of the Yugoslav tribunal budget," said William Pace, 
who heads the Coalition for an International Criminal Court, an advocacy 
group that supports U.N. tribunals for war crimes. 
The remedy advocated by the Bush administration is strengthening the 
domestic justice system in Rwanda, Yugoslavia and other countries. In 
Yugoslavia, that means building up conventional courts, while in Rwanda the 
approach may involve using the country's traditional "gacaca" system, with 
tribal elders dispensing justice to lower level perpetrators. "The penalty 
may he, 'Now you need to give two cows, or you need to farm the land of 
these people,' " said Mr. Prosper, a former assistant U.S. attorn ey who 
himself led a successful prosecution for genocide at the Rwanda tribunal in 
1998. 
But most EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization members are movingin the 
opposite direction, by establishing the International Criminal Court. The 
ICe treaty-signed by President Clinton in the last weeks of his term but 
never sent to the Senate for approval - has been ratified by 52 countries. 
including Britain, Canada and Germany. Should eight more follow, as 
proportents expect this year. the ICC will begin operation in The Hague, 
where Rwanda and Yugoslavia tribunals are based. 
 
 
Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, 
please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!