People protecting Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and other indicted war criminals here are holding back the development of an entire nation, Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Saturday.
During a stop en route from Kuwait and on his way to Warsaw, Powell said the failure to hand over Karadzic and others accused of war crimes during the ethnic conflict of a decade ago is keeping Bosnia out of the community of nations.
“I hope that those who may be harboring these individuals realize that the future of their country is being held at risk,” Powell said. He also said Karadzic and other suspects are “answerable to the people of Bosnia, and they are answerable to the international community for the crimes they have committed.”
Karadzic and his former military commander, Gen. Ratko Mladic, are the main suspects in the ethnic purges during the Bosnian war in which more than 200,000 died.
Powell earlier visited a rebuilt school along the former line of defense during the siege of Sarajevo and said people helping Karadzic prevent Bosnia from getting “the additional assistance that it requires from the international community and which the international community wishes to provide.”
Earlier, before leaving Kuwait, Powell said he was not concerned about the initial reaction of Sudanese officials to the passage of a UN Security Council resolution that gave the government 30 days to disarm militias marauding the Darfur region.
“They can say whatever they wish to say. The Security Council has spoken in a rather strong vote,” Powell said.
Sudan’s government stepped back Saturday from rejecting the resolution, according to The Associated Press. Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said the resolution did not go beyond commitments Sudan had already made.
Powell arrived later in Poland to represent President Bush at Sunday’s commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Rising.
