The Government has approved a grant of €200,000 towards theestablishment of a specialised war crimes court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
From now on, all those accused of violations of international humanitarian law during the Bosnian conflict can actually be tried in Bosnia.
Until now, all such proceedings are taking place in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague, which was established by the UN Security Council in 1993.
Ireland's contribution is being pledged today by the Ambassador to theNetherlands, Mr Richard Townsend, at a donors' conference organised at the headquarters of ICTY in the Hague.
It is expected that around €15 million will be pledged by the international community for the first two years of the new war crimes chamber in Sarajevo.
The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt said today the creation of the chamber is "an important step in the building of institutions of justice" in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I hope it will contribute to the reconciliation process following thehorrors of the conflict in the 1990s," Mr Kitt added.