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25 April 2000

Text: NATO Secretary General's Statement on Arrest of Dragan Nikolic

(Accused of war crimes in summer of 1992) (570)
In an April 22 statement, NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson
praised the actions of the Bosnia Peace Stabilization Force (SFOR) in
detaining accused war criminal Dragan Nikolic.
Nikolic, who was detained on April 21, is under an open indictment for
war crimes allegedly committed in the summer of 1992 while he was the
commander of a camp at Susica, in northeastern Bosnia. He is accused
of crimes against humanity, violations of the laws or customs of war,
and violations of the Geneva Convention including murder, torture,
unlawful imprisonment and other inhumane acts.
"Slowly but surely, those responsible for heinous crimes committed in
Bosnia-Herzegovina are being forced to face up to their actions,"
Robertson said. "Justice is being done. For without justice, there can
be no lasting peace in the Balkans."
Following is the text of the NATO press release:
(begin text)
NATO Press Release
22 April 2000
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL'S STATEMENT ON ARREST OF DRAGAN NIKOLIC
On 21 April, SFOR detained Dragan Nikolic, who is indicted for war
crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY).
He is now being processed for transfer to The Hague.
Dragan Nikolic is under an open indictment for war crimes. In the
summer of 1992, he was the commander of a camp at Susica, in
north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Set up within one month after
the takeover by Serbian forces of the Bosnian city of Vlasenica, on
about 21 April 1992, this camp was closed down in September 1992. The
Susica camp was run by military and local MUP (militia). He is accused
of crimes against humanity, violations of the laws or customs of war,
and grave breaches of the Geneva Convention of 1948 including murder,
torture, unlawful imprisonment and other inhumane acts.
Yet another fugitive from justice has been arrested in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and taken to face trial in The Hague. This
represents the seventh such arrest since I took over as Secretary
General in October of last year. Slowly but surely, those responsible
for heinous crimes committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina are being forced to
face up to their actions. Justice is being done. For without justice,
there can be no lasting peace in the Balkans. To those who remain as
fugitives, I repeat my warning: The clock is ticking. It is time to
turn yourselves in.
This action was undertaken in accordance with SFOR's mandate that
authorizes detention operations for such persons. It was within the
mandate given to SFOR by the North Atlantic Council under authority
contained in the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
The parties to the Dayton Peace Agreement remain responsible for
co-operating in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and
other violations of international humanitarian law. SFOR will continue
to do its part by carrying out its mandate in a firm and even-handed
manner.
SACEUR [NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe] as overall commander for
SFOR, has kept me fully informed of this action. I should like to
commend the SFOR troops and their commanders for their courage,
professionalism and dedication in carrying out this action which will
contribute to the continued consolidation of the peace in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)