Remarks with Carla Del Ponte, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda

I told the Prosecutor that she can continue to count on the United States support for her work, and we talked about the ultimate exit strategy. In due course, you would expect her work to be finished, but I can assure you that until her work is finished, the United States will be supporting her every step of the way.

Thank you, Madame Prosecutor.

MS. DEL PONTE: Thank you. Yes, it's important for me to discuss with the Secretary of State about cooperation. As you know, we have a lot of difficulties with Belgrade to obtain the cooperation we need to conduct our investigations and arrest of fugitives, and I was very, very pleased to discuss with the Secretary, and I hope that we will maintain our program as we call it now no more exit strategy, but completion strategy.

Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you. I have time for just one question. I have a phone call.

QUESTION: Secretary Powell, later this month, as you mentioned, the government in Belgrade is up for re-certification from the United States, and cooperation with the ICTY is just one of the three criteria. I believe they have made some progress on meeting one of them, the cutting off links with the Republika Srpska, but the cooperation with ICTY, as you just said, is not up there. The third criteria was the repatriation of ethnic Albanians who were arrested in the Milosevic area. How are they doing on that?

And, Madame Prosecutor, if I could ask, would you recommend to the United States not to re-certify Belgrade if -- unless cooperation with your court continues?

SECRETARY POWELL: The Albanian question is still out there, and as I approach the end of the month, just as I did when I had to make certifications last year, I will examine the total situation and see how it is consistent or inconsistent with the law that I have to certify under and whether good faith efforts, as well as performance, has taken place. And that is what I will do, just as I did last year. And if they're not deserving, they won't get it; if they are, they will. And they know what they have to do, and we'll keep the pressure on.

MS. DEL PONTE: I am here to ask for a full cooperation from Belgrade, but I am not deciding about the modalities to obtain that. That is a task of the US Government to decide. But I hope that it will work, yes.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you.