The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) and the Outreach Program of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia are organizing a symposium in Belgrade on 16-17 March to bring the work of the Tribunal closer to the legal community in FR Yugoslavia. Similar symposiums have already been held in Croatia, Republika Srpska, the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, and one is scheduled to take place in Kosovo on 2-3 March.

The organizers, the Outreach Program and non-governmental organizations in the former Yugoslavia, consider that only a professional and public debate can produce a full and accurate perception of the Tribunal's work, its contribution to maintaining peace, establishing the truth and creating conditions for reconciliation.

The aim of the symposium is to reach out to national legal communities - judges, prosecutors, lawyers, representatives of Justice Ministries, as well as the general public. The Outreach Program plans a series of regional symposiums in 2001 at which the participants will analyze the jurisprudence of the Tribunal and national courts.

The HLC has sent invitations to judges of district courts and public prosecutors in Serbia, the Military Court in Nis and the Supreme Military Court in Belgrade, lawyers, and experts in constitutional and criminal law. Six representatives of the Tribunal, the Prosecutor's Office and Secretariat will be attending.

General Milos Gojkovic, President of the Supreme Military Court, turned down without an explanation the invitation for representatives of his court to participate at the symposium.