Mladić at large spells negative report – Del Ponte

Unless Mladic is in Hague by Monday, Carla Del Ponte's UN SC report on Serbia will be negative. "On Monday, I told Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, President Boris Tadic and the operatives: 'I will give you a few more days, but on Monday, December 10, Mladic must be in the Hague, or my cooperation report will be negative," Del Ponte was quoted as saying today. Mladic at large spells negative report – Del Ponte The outgoing chief Hague prosecutor acknowledges that the moment to arrest Ratko Mladic, former Bosnian Serb military leader charged with war crimes and genocide by the UN court, "is especially difficult" with upcoming presidential elections and the settling of the Kosovo status. But Del Ponte made it clear that, even with all of that taken into account, she is objecting to Belgrade's attempts to sign the SAA with the EU before Mladic has been arrested. A previous agency report today was more optimistic, when Tanjug said it had insight into the document where the chief prosecutor says that “the rhythm of commitment has markedly increased,“ which “gives hope“ that the result will be a more effective and better directed operation. Nonetheless, she feels that the Hague fugitives are within Belgrade’s reach. “A positive development has been the government’s offer of a reward for information leading to the arrest of the fugitives and the adoption of a law extending the role of the War Crimes Prosecution, including jurisdiction over those aiding and abetting the fugitives,“ reads the report. Del Ponte said that, although these decisions were still to be implemented, the very fact that such measures had been taken represented “an encouraging sign of the Serb authorities’ determination to cooperate, when it comes to the arrest of the remaining fugitives.“ “During my recent visit to Belgrade, the president and the prime minister stressed that Ratko Mladic’s capture would be in Serbia’s best interests,“ the report continues, the prosecutor’s last before Serge Brammertz replaces her in the post on January 1. “It’s vitally important that the international community continues to insist on Mladic’s arrest, as he is in Serbia, just like the other fugitives,“ adds the prosecutor’s report. She alleges that “there have been long delays“ in submitting documents from security service archives, though following a series of meetings with the authorities in Belgrade, progress has been made in this area. “The Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and its president have contributed significantly to these efforts, which has led to a good arrangement over access to these archives,“ says the report, underlining that after these difficulties, access was opened to documents from both the military and the military court. Finally, Del Ponte called on the international community not to allow the remaining four fugitives - Ratko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic, Stojan Zupljanin and Goran Hadzic – to escape international justice, and called on the UN Security Council member-states to do everything in their power to have them arrested without delay. Carla Del Ponte (Fonet, archive) "Mladic might be in Serbia" War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic says Ratko Mladic might be in Serbia. “I told the prosecutor (Carla Del Ponte) that we thought Mladic was in Serbia, Karadzic in the region – Serbia, Kosovo obviously, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia-Hercegovina or Montenegro – while Zupljanin and Hadzic are probably in Serbia too. But we currently don’t know where they are. If we did, we’d arrest them,“ Vukcevic told Blic. The war crimes prosecutor also confirmed that Radovan Karadzic had been hiding in Belgrade in 2004. Asked whether Mladic would end up in the Hague by the end of the year when Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte’s mandate is due to expire, he said that it was “unlikely to happen by then“ as he was well hidden. During the interview, Vukcevic said that he expected Del Ponte’s report, which she is due to submit to the Security Council on December 10, to be balanced. “I don’t say the report will be negative, but without the Hague fugitives in the Hague she won’t give a positive appraisal... That means that Mladic, Karadzic, Zupljanin and Hadzic are blocking our path to Europe,“ the war crimes prosecutor stressed.

Mladić at large spells negative report – Del Ponte

The outgoing chief Hague prosecutor acknowledges that the moment to arrest Ratko Mladić, former Bosnian Serb military leader charged with war crimes and genocide by the UN court, "is especially difficult" with upcoming presidential elections and the settling of the Kosovo status.

But Del Ponte made it clear that, even with all of that taken into account, she is objecting to Belgrade's attempts to sign the SAA with the EU before Mladić has been arrested.

A previous agency report today was more optimistic, when Tanjug said it had insight into the document where the chief prosecutor says that “the rhythm of commitment has markedly increased,“ which “gives hope“ that the result will be a more effective and better directed operation.

Nonetheless, she feels that the Hague fugitives are within Belgrade’s reach.

“A positive development has been the government’s offer of a reward for information leading to the arrest of the fugitives and the adoption of a law extending the role of the War Crimes Prosecution, including jurisdiction over those aiding and abetting the fugitives,“ reads the report.

Del Ponte said that, although these decisions were still to be implemented, the very fact that such measures had been taken represented “an encouraging sign of the Serb authorities’ determination to cooperate, when it comes to the arrest of the remaining fugitives.“

“During my recent visit to Belgrade, the president and the prime minister stressed that Ratko Mladić’s capture would be in Serbia’s best interests,“ the report continues, the prosecutor’s last before Serge Brammertz replaces her in the post on January 1.

“It’s vitally important that the international community continues to insist on Mladić’s arrest, as he is in Serbia, just like the other fugitives,“ adds the prosecutor’s report.

She alleges that “there have been long delays“ in submitting documents from security service archives, though following a series of meetings with the authorities in Belgrade, progress has been made in this area.

“The Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and its president have contributed significantly to these efforts, which has led to a good arrangement over access to these archives,“ says the report, underlining that after these difficulties, access was opened to documents from both the military and the military court.

Finally, Del Ponte called on the international community not to allow the remaining four fugitives - Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karadžić, Stojan Župljanin and Goran Hadžić – to escape international justice, and called on the UN Security Council member-states to do everything in their power to have them arrested without delay.

"Mladić might be in Serbia"

War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević says Ratko Mladić might be in Serbia.

“I told the prosecutor (Carla Del Ponte) that we thought Mladić was in Serbia, Karadžić in the region – Serbia, Kosovo obviously, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia-Hercegovina or Montenegro – while Župljanin and Hadžić are probably in Serbia too. But we currently don’t know where they are. If we did, we’d arrest them,“ Vukčević told Blic.

The war crimes prosecutor also confirmed that Radovan Karadžić had been hiding in Belgrade in 2004.

Asked whether Mladić would end up in the Hague by the end of the year when Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte’s mandate is due to expire, he said that it was “unlikely to happen by then“ as he was well hidden.

During the interview, Vukčević said that he expected Del Ponte’s report, which she is due to submit to the Security Council on December 10, to be balanced.

“I don’t say the report will be negative, but without the Hague fugitives in the Hague she won’t give a positive appraisal... That means that Mladić, Karadžić, Župljanin and Hadžić are blocking our path to Europe,“ the war crimes prosecutor stressed.