JASMI MOHAMMED YUSOFF (Malaysia) also expressed satisfaction that the Tribunal had evolved into a fully operational international criminal court that provided fair trials to the accused, while maintaining a high degree of protection for victims and witnesses. The continuing existence of the Tribunal was a reflection of the sustained support of the international community; he hoped that support would be further manifested through the exertion of pressure on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to fully comply with its obligations to cooperate. He was seriously concerned that 35 accused still remained at large, most of them the former Yugoslavia.

He noted that, despite the Tribunal's best efforts, certain States, particularly the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska, continued to obstruct its work. He urged that more serious and determined efforts be undertaken to apprehending those war criminals, so that the wrong message would not be sent to them and to others who might contemplate committing similar acts. The arrest of relatively minor characters was no substitute for apprehending the leaders responsible for the atrocities. The arrest and prosecution of the indicted war criminals would make a substantive contribution to the process of healing and reconciliation.