May 6, 1999
Web posted at: 5:04 p.m. EDT (2104 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, May 6) -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is urging President Bill Clinton to show more support for the effort to have Yugoslav leaders branded war criminals and stand trial.

In a letter to Clinton, 16 senators call for the United States and the United Nations mission in Bosnia to pursue the arrest of former Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic for his alleged involvement in atrocities in the war in Bosnia.

Karadzic was indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague in 1995. The senators say his arrest would send a strong message to Belgrade that leaders there will be held accountable for alleged war crimes.

While in Washington last week, Justice Louise Arbour, the head of the tribunal, urged NATO and the U.S. to pursue a number of indicted Yugoslav war criminals still at large, including Karadzic.

In addition, the lawmakers are also pushing for additional funding for the tribunal to facilitate investigations into allegations of war crimes in Kosovo.

The senators contend that the $5 million requested by the White House is not adequate and should be quadrupled to $20 million.

There was also a call to establish a war crimes center in the U.S., using personnel from the State Department, Justice Department, FBI and intelligence agencies. The purpose would be to help coordinate all data collected on war crimes and be a central referral service to the Tribunal.

The senators who signed the letter are: Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania), Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey), Dick Lugar (R-Indiana), Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Patrick Moynihan (D-New York), John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Harry Reid (D-Nevada), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin), Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), and George Voinovich (R-Ohio).

Thursday, May 6, 1999

• House approves $13 billion for Kosovo fighting
• Senators call for more support of war crimes tribunal
• House passes bill to toughen bankruptcy law
• Reno orders review of Los Alamos probe
• Senate committee approves report reviewing technology transfer to China
• Steele case goes to the jury
• House managers honored with musical tribute
• Campaign briefs: Lousiana House race; Gore
• Senate passes bill allowing financial companies to merge
• First lady to tour southwest to help save landmarks
• GOP struggling to provide 2000 tax relief amid money crunch
• Bush criticizes Clinton's stand against ground troops in Kosovo
• Some House Republicans seek vote on campaign finance overhaul
• Senators weigh $4.3 billion in emergency aid for farmers

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