Vol. 529 No. 1
136 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is in agreement with the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission proposed by President Vojislav Kostunica of Yugoslavia to establish the truth about the recent wars in the Balkans. [2218/01]
The last ten years have seen many traumatic events in the western Balkans, with ethnically-motivated violence often being perpetrated by individuals and groups on their vulnerable neighbours. In the aftermath of such events, a truth and reconciliation commission can have a valuable role to play in promoting reconciliation and establishing a good basis for future harmonious living together. Whether such a body can replace due process of the criminal law is for each country to decide in the light of its own particular circumstances and aspirations. However, at the international level, there can be no substitute for legal accountability before a court of law. In 1993, the UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, established the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991. This tribunal remains the appropriate forum for trial of such offences and I expect the authorities in Belgrade to co-operate fully with it in fulfilling its mandate.
