Concerns

The European Union (EU) and NATO have long tied their enlargement policies with respect to their western Balkan states with assessments of their cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), established in 1993 to address serious violations of international humanitarian law that occurred during the violent conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. A key U.S. goal for the Balkan region is to secure its integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions such as the European Union and NATO. Full cooperation with ICTY has long been held up by U.S. and other international officials as a pre-condition to further Euro-Atlantic integration, although the degree to which this conditionality should be observed has been subject to debate with respect to EU and NATO association and partnership affiliations. In annual appropriations bills, Congress has conditioned some bilateral U.S. assistance to Serbia on the Administration's certification of ICTY cooperation. The second session of the 110 th Congress may again consider certification requirements for Serbia in foreign aid legislation. Summary of Recent Transfers

On July 21, 2008, the Serbian government announced that its security services in Belgrade had arrested former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, one of the top two fugitives who had eluded capture for 13 years. Karadzic was indicted in 1995 by ICTY on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide.
Balkan cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has long been an issue of ongoing U.S. and international concern. On July 21, 2008, the Serbian government announced the peaceful arrest in Belgrade of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, a longtime high-target fugitive who had eluded capture for 13 years. Only two other ICTY indicted individuals are still at large, including Gen. Ratko Mladic, who along with Karadzic is under indictment for genocide and crimes against humanity occurring during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. Full cooperation with ICTY has long been a key prerequisite to advancing the shared goal of closer association with and eventual membership in the European Union and NATO for the western Balkan countries. This policy of conditionality has occasionally come under criticism, although the recent arrest of Karadzic appears to have affirmed the strategy. ICTY is scheduled to conclude its work and close its doors in 2010 or 2011. The second session of the 110th Congress may consider foreign aid legislation that includes recurring provisions linking U.S. assistance to Serbia with ICTY cooperation; many Members also maintain an interest in NATO and EU enlargement processes. This report may be updated as events warrant. For related information, see CRS Report RS21686, Conditions on U.S. Aid to Serbia, by [author name scrubbed].