Statement Of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell On Secretary Of State Powell's Announcement Of Serbia Certification

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement in response to Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent announcement that he certified Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY):

"I would like nothing more than to end the annual certification process that links aid to Serbia on cooperation with the ICTY. While Serbia has made some progress, more is needed - including the arrest of Ratko Mladic.

"As we gear up for the fiscal year 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill, we will be looking at progress made on this issue since Secretary Powell's certification this week. It is up to Serbia to end the certification process, and it should act now to demonstrate once and for all its commitment to arresting and transferring war criminals to The Hague and providing ICTY with access to archives and witnesses."