§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to offer to assist the authorities in Serbia to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission similar to that in South Africa; and if he will make a statement. [122336]
§ The Prime MinisterThere is no prospect of the present Serbian authorities establishing a credible Truth and Reconciliation Commission. However, the UK Government have always stressed the importance of bringing to justice those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law in former Yugoslavia. To this end, we support the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) by providing information and resources. In 1999 our contribution to the ICTY was assessed at £3.1 million.
In Serbia, our active support for Serbian civil society and independent media includes support for projects in this field, including one media project which aims to draw on the experiences of South Africa. The issue of "Reconciliation with the Past" will be the subject of one of the UK funded New Serbia Forum series, which brings together Serbian experts from the democratic opposition to discuss the policies necessary for the post-Milosevic era.