Kosovo: The United Nations and four States sign Agreements for the Assistance of Experts in the Investigations conducted by the Office of the Prosecutor.

Press Release ·Communiqué de presse
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)


The Hague, 25 June 1999
CC/ P.I.S./412-E


KOSOVO:


THE UNITED NATIONS AND FOUR STATES SIGN AGREEMENTS
FOR THE ASSISTANCE OF EXPERTS IN THE INVESTIGATIONS
CONDUCTED BY THE OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR



Earlier this week, four States have entered the first formal agreements with the United Nations in order to make national experts available to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.


More specifically, those experts will be made available on a gratis basis "to provide temporary and urgent assistance" to the investigations conducted by the Office of the Prosecutor in Kosovo.


These agreements follow a recent request by the Prosecutor, Justice Louise Arbour, which was approved by the Secretary General of the United Nations. The agreements were signed on Wednesday 23 June 1999 by France (10 experts) and Canada (9 experts), followed by the United Kingdom (15 experts) on Thursday 24 June 1999 and by Switzerland (4 experts) on Friday 25 June 1999.


Discussions are on-going with a number of other States prepared to assist the operations of the Office of the Prosecutor’s operations in Kosovo.