§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy concerning the detection and arrest of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic; and what resources they are devoting to this. [HL1148]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)The Government remain fully committed to bringing Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic to trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. Their continued presence at large is an obstacle to justice and reconciliation, and to the region's political and economic development.
The Government are at the forefront of diplomatic, political and—through SFOR in Bosnia—operational efforts to bring about their detention and transfer to The Hague. The UK was instrumental in securing EU agreement on a visa ban against those providing people indicted for war crimes (PIFWCs)—in particular Karadzic and Mladic—with logistical and financial support; and the UK was a sponsor of UNSCR 1503, which underlined the central importance of securing their detention and trial. We are also a firm supporter of the NATO and EU policy of conditionality, which makes full co-operation with the ICTY—including all possible measures to secure the detention of Karadzic, Mlaldic and other at-large PIFWCs—a pre-condition for greater integration with the EU and NATO