Regional Prosecutor's Offices and Mechanism Chiefs on Regional Conference in Belgrade

SARAJevo, (Patria) - Delegations of the Prosecutor's Offices of BiH, FBiH, Brčko District, Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Una-Sana Canton, State Attorney's Office of the Republic of Croatia and specialized county prosecutor's offices of Croatia, Special Prosecutor's Office of Montenegro, War Crimes Prosecutor's Office of Serbia and the Office of the Prosecutor of the Mechanism participated in the Regional Conference of War Crimes Prosecutors, held in Belgrade, Serbia, convened by the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office of Serbia and UNDP in partnership with the United Kingdom and Italy.

The main topic of discussion was regional cooperation in war crimes cases. Following the conclusion of the conference, the presented offices issued the following joint statement reflecting their main conclusions and commitments.

The participating prosecutor's offices agreed on the need to prosecute more war crimes committed in the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, and that mutual cooperation between their offices is key to achieving this. Currently, cooperation faces many challenges that need to be addressed.

In order to improve cooperation, the participating prosecutor's offices agreed to identify specific cases suitable for transfer between them and to initiate the necessary discussions. It was further agreed that it is necessary to raise the level of trust of victims in regional cooperation.

To this end, the Mechanism's Office of the Prosecutor will facilitate progress in handling transferred cases as needed. Prosecutor's Offices from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia expressed their desire for continued assistance from the Mechanism's Office of the Prosecutor in building their capacities and supporting the implementation of their mandates.

Finally, the prosecutor's offices emphasized the importance of regular communication, and therefore the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina offered to convene the next conference.