CLINTON SAYS WAR CRIMINALS MUST BE PUNISHED

By Donna SMITH (Reuter)

Storrs, Connecticut, Oct.15 (Reuter) - President Bill Clinton commemorated the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals on Sunday with support for prosecuting such crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and by calling for the establishment of a permanent U.N. war crimes court.

"We have an obligation to carry forward the lessons of Nuremberg" Clinton said in a speech at the University of Connecticut. "That is why we strongly support the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda."

He said those who believe that pursuing peace in Bosnia might mean forgoing prosecution of those involved in brutal ethnic cleansing are wrong.

"There must be peace for justice to prevail, but there must be justice when peace prevails," Clinton said in a speech to launch the university's week-long commemoration of the Nuremberg trials 50 years ago.

"By successfully prosecuting war criminals in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, we can send a strong signal for those who would use the cover of war to commit terrible atrocities, that they cannot escape the consequences of such actions," Clinton said.

Clinton said that signal would "come across even more loudly and clearly" if a permanent court is established to prosecute serious violations of humanitarian law.

He said 43 people have been cited for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and said those indictments are not open for negociation in peace talks that get underway later this month.

"Those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, must be brought to justice," he said "They must be tried and if found guilty, they must be held accountable."

He reiterated his plan to send thousands of U.S. troops to help keep the peace in Bosnia once a peace accord is signed.

"We will not send our troops into combat" Clinton said, "We will not ask them to keep a peace that cannot be maintained. But we must use our power to secure a peace and to implement the agreement."