Duma deems Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia inexpedient

Duma deems Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia inexpedient
ITAR-TASS News Agency - March 15, 2006, Wednesday 06:17 AM EST

By: Sofia Filippova

MOSCOW, March 15 - The Russian State Duma approved on Wednesday a statement on the death of former president of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic, noting that the further functioning of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ITFY) is inexpedient.

The MPs believe the tribunal ``was unable to implement the idea embedded in its foundation''. Moreover, the decisions, which the Tribunal had passed during the entire period of its existence, are marked by extreme politization and partiality,'' the State Duma holds. ``Dual standards grew to be a norm of its entire work,'' the statement notes.

The parliamentarians ``reiterate the need of shortly completing the investigation of all the cases now on the agenda of the Tribunal'', the document says. They note the absolutely impermissible ``facts, testifying to the extremely gross violation of human rights in the ITFY Hague prison, which found expression, in particular, in the refusal to render qualified medical aid to Slobodan Milosevic, who was badly in need of it''. Hence, on the motion of Viktor Kuznetsov, a member of the Communist party faction, the word ``completing'' was replaced in the document by that of ``discontinuing''. Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov seconded the motion and the State Duma voted for this amendment.

Hence, the final text of the statement calls for discontinuing all the Tribunal investigations.

The authors of the document recall that the State Duma had repeatedly expressed its anxiety about Milosevic's health and had called on the Tribunal to suspend the trial of the ex-president of Yugoslavia. ``The Tribunal ignored its appeals, thereby assuming the entire responsibility for the life of the defendant,'' the document stresses.

At the same time, the State Duma believes the Tribunal should ``create all the necessary conditions for an independent international investigation of the reasons and circumstances of Milosevic's death''. ``Those guilty of his death, either due to negligence or evil design, must be named and brought to trial,'' the MPs are convinced.

The Duma has also expressed sincere condolences to Milosevic's relatives and close ones.