Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Statement on Apprehension of Ratko Mladic

May 26, 2011

Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Statement on Apprehension of Ratko Mladic

(WASHINGTON, DC)– Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (NY-6), Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia, released the following statement in regards to the apprehension of Ratko Mladic:

“As Ranking Democratic Member of the House Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia, I commend the Serbian government and President Boris Tadic for apprehending the Bosnian Serb wartime commander and accused war criminal, Ratko Mladic.

“The arrest of Mladic represents a great step forward toward closure of a tragic period in the history of the western Balkans. My thoughts are with the victims of the eras senseless violence and killings that Mladic and his cohorts inflicted throughout the region. I hope survivors and relatives will take some solace in justice being served at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague.

“Mladic’s trial will be the next step in the process of reconciliation of previously combative parties who now embrace common values and goals and find themselves on the same path toward a Europe, whole, safe, and at peace. Mladic’s arrest will bring Serbia closer to membership of the European Union, and I look forward to working with Serbia and the entire Balkan region to fully integrate them into European and transatlantic institutions.

“This important arrest delivers and important message about international intolerance for crimes against humanity and reminds instigators and perpetrators of violence everywhere that no one is above the law.”