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QUESTION: Do you know anything about an issue reported today in the London Daily Telegraph which quotes British defense forces as saying the French military have thwarted efforts to arrest Karadzic? It also quotes former Hague chief prosecutor Louise Arbour as calling the French zone a "safe haven for war crimes."

MR. REEKER: I have seen a couple of those reports. All I can say is that NATO forces -- which would be SFOR -- in Bosnia should detain all indicted war criminals that they encounter in the course of their duties. That's been our position and our policy, and that has not changed. And we want to see those responsible for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia brought to justice. All indictees, and that would include Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic and of course, Slobodan Milosevic, belong in The Hague, and that's where we want to see them.

I think Richard went over last week some of the numbers in terms of 94 persons who have been publicly indicted, 49 who have been brought to The Hague. I believe there are 19 others where indictments have been dropped or the individual has passed away. So we continue to pursue our policy that those responsible for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia should be brought to justice; that NATO forces, as they have, should detain indicted war criminals when they encounter them in the course of their duties.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) that the French have purposely tried to derail any plans, any operations? 

MR. REEKER: I don't have anything specific on that. I think our policy remains very much the same, and we coordinate closely in SFOR on that.

(The briefing was concluded at 2:25 P.M.) 

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