Mr. Speaker, last weekend, Serbian police arrested Slobodan Milosevic.
Milosevic has been indicted by the international criminal tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity and has been charged by the Yugoslav government with corruption and abuse of power.
This move by the Yugoslav government signals the beginning of a commitment to the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
For its part, the Canadian government is urging Yugoslavia's leaders to facilitate the work of the international criminal tribunal.
Our Prime Minister said that “The authorities in Belgrade have an obligation to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, including the handing over of Milosevic. In the interest of justice, and as a decisive step in the improvement of Yugoslavia's international standing, we hope that this takes place soon”.