Yugoslavia Not Doing Enough
March 19, 2002
The US has not made a final decision yet on whether Yugoslavia is eligible for more aid. The Bush administration has to rule by March 31 whether Belgrade has met the terms set by the US Congress.
These include cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague and releasing Kosovo Albanians from Serbian jails.
A US official said some $40 million is at stake, about half of the amount Washington is offering Yugoslavia. The US could also withhold support for Yugoslavia in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Tribunal can count on the US
ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte was in Washington on Monday for talks with US Secretary of State Colin Powell. "We noted a lack of progress on the part of the authorities in Belgrade with respect to the work of the Tribunal," Powell told reporters following the meeting.
The Secretary of State said he had promised Del Ponte (photo) that the US would "redouble" its efforts to get the kind of cooperation needed. He referred to the access to archival material, turning over other officials, and putting in place domestic internal law and other issues.
"I told the Prosecutor that she can continue to count on United States support for her work," Powell said. "I can assure you that until her work is finished, the United States will be supporting her every step of the way."
Will Belgrade come through?
Asked if Belgrade would meet the conditions in time, Powell said: "The Albanian question is still out there."
He said he would examine the total situation, just as he had done to make certifications last year, to determine "whether good faith efforts, as well as performance, has taken place".
"And if they're not deserving, they won't get it; if they are, they will," Powell said. "And they know what they have to do, and we'll keep the pressure on."
Observers say the looming deadline promises to create the same last-minute political drama in Yugoslavia as that which marked the handover of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic last year.
Diplomats said last week they expect Belgrade to turn in several indictees before March 31, even at the risk of offending nationalists and Serbian suspicion of the Hague court.