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US Urges Yugoslav President to Hand Over Milosevic
US President George W. Bush on Wednesday met with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and said US aid to the Balkan country still hinges on the handover of Slobodan Milosevic to an international court.
Kostunica held talks with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush's national security advisor Condoleezza Rice at the White House and Bush joined the talks for about 10 minutes, the White House said.
"The president welcomed the improved relations between Yugoslavia and the United States and stressed that the United States stands ready to assist Yugoslavia in its democratic transition and effort to join Europe," White House national security spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman said after the meeting.
"The president welcomed Belgrade's desire to try former Yugoslav president, but he stated clearly that Milosevic must also face justice for his international crimes," Countryman said.
"The U.S. ability to assist Yugoslavia depends on Belgrade's relationship" with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, Countryman said.
The United States wants Yugoslav government to announce a date for the hand-over of Milosevic to The Hague, but the Yugoslav side has made it clear that it wants to try him first for abuse of power and corruption.
Kostunica said: "As if our problems were not enough, we have to cope with the West's reluctance to give us a chance to build our institutions and establish the rule of laws and to try war-crimes suspects."
"We were speaking in terms of our obligations and I think that there is understanding on the part of American authorities how that cooperation should be realized within the legal frame," he said when asked if the U.S. leaders had pressed him to hand over Milosevic.
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