Pocar: Serbia fails to arrest Mladić

The Hague Tribunal president will inform the UN Serbia that failed to find and arrest Ratko Mladic in the past year. “The Serbian authorities have again failed to find and arrest Mladic, despite numerous assurances that they would do so,” Fausto Pocar says in his report he is due to present to the UN General Assembly on October 15. Pocar: Serbia fails to arrest Mladic “When it comes to Radovan Karadzic, it seems that no one is assuming responsibility for his disappearance from the radar of the responsible services, “adds the report. Meanwhile, Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said yesterday that pressure must be exerted on Serbia to arrest the remaining Hague fugitives. “Political pressure is crucial, both for Serbia and for Bosnia-Herzegovina [as] both countries want to become EU member candidates. That must not be allowed until they turn over Karadzic, Mladic and other indictees,” she stressed. “We need political pressure because that is the only thing they will respond to,” conclude Del Ponte. The chief Hague prosecutor also said that Ratko Mladic could be delivered to the Tribunal by the end of her mandate in December, only if Belgrade decided to do so, and that the pressure on Serbia in that sense should remain constant. The Hague Tribunal Hague sets conditions for SAA initialing The initialing of the SAA announced for October might be postponed due to Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague. It is not yet certain when Serbia will be able to initial the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union, given that the remaining Hague fugitives, particularly Ratko Mladic, have not yet been located and delivered to the UN court. Much depends on Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte’s report on Serbian cooperation with the Tribunal which she is due to present to Brussels on October 16. In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Del Ponte said she was expecting the EU to exert more pressure on Serbia to have the indictees arrested. Nonetheless, she declined to comment on whether or not her report would be positive. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic voiced hope that Serbia would initial the SAA by the end of October, while EU officials remain silent on the issue, saying that it will be decided after they hear Del Ponte’s report. Holland, Great Britain and some other EU states believe Serbia should not initial the SAA while the most wanted Hague fugitive is still at large. Del Ponte is expected to attend the meeting of EU member state foreign ministers in Brussels and elaborate on her report. “It is rather unusual practice, since thus far she would only submit the report and not appear in person to expound on it,” Djelic said, adding that EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn had extended the invitation to Del Ponte. “The European Parliament's rapporteur for Serbia, Jelko Kacin, invited Rasim Ljajic, head of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, to attend the same meeting, so our side could be heard there as well,” Djelic added. According to him, a postponement of the initialing of the SAA, at a time when all technical details have been agreed on, has in some quarters been linked to the ongoing Kosovo talks and Serbia’s rejection of the province’s independence. Djelic said he had warned the ambassadors of EU states he had met on Tuesday, that a part of the public saw these two processes as being inextricably linked. “Of course, these processes have been kept separate, but I relayed to the ambassadors that in the event of postponement of the SAA initialing, certain sections of the public would see that as additional pressure vis-a-vis Serbia’s position over Kosovo,” he said. Djelic believed that Serbia’s efforts in locating the remaining fugitives would be acknowledged, as representatives of the Hague Tribunal working with the state operative team tasked with the search could testify to it.

Pocar: Serbia fails to arrest Mladić

“When it comes to Radovan Karadžić, it seems that no one is assuming responsibility for his disappearance from the radar of the responsible services, “adds the report.

Meanwhile, Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said yesterday that pressure must be exerted on Serbia to arrest the remaining Hague fugitives.

“Political pressure is crucial, both for Serbia and for Bosnia-Herzegovina [as] both countries want to become EU member candidates. That must not be allowed until they turn over Karadžić, Mladić and other indictees,” she stressed.

“We need political pressure because that is the only thing they will respond to,” conclude Del Ponte.

The chief Hague prosecutor also said that Ratko Mladić could be delivered to the Tribunal by the end of her mandate in December, only if Belgrade decided to do so, and that the pressure on Serbia in that sense should remain constant.

Hague sets conditions for SAA initialing

The initialing of the SAA announced for October might be postponed due to Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague.

It is not yet certain when Serbia will be able to initial the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union, given that the remaining Hague fugitives, particularly Ratko Mladić, have not yet been located and delivered to the UN court.

Much depends on Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte’s report on Serbian cooperation with the Tribunal which she is due to present to Brussels on October 16. In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Del Ponte said she was expecting the EU to exert more pressure on Serbia to have the indictees arrested.

Nonetheless, she declined to comment on whether or not her report would be positive. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić voiced hope that Serbia would initial the SAA by the end of October, while EU officials remain silent on the issue, saying that it will be decided after they hear Del Ponte’s report.

Holland, Great Britain and some other EU states believe Serbia should not initial the SAA while the most wanted Hague fugitive is still at large.

Del Ponte is expected to attend the meeting of EU member state foreign ministers in Brussels and elaborate on her report.

“It is rather unusual practice, since thus far she would only submit the report and not appear in person to expound on it,” Đelić said, adding that EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn had extended the invitation to Del Ponte.

“The European Parliament's rapporteur for Serbia, Jelko Kacin, invited Rasim Ljajić, head of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, to attend the same meeting, so our side could be heard there as well,” Đelić added.

According to him, a postponement of the initialing of the SAA, at a time when all technical details have been agreed on, has in some quarters been linked to the ongoing Kosovo talks and Serbia’s rejection of the province’s independence.

Đelić said he had warned the ambassadors of EU states he had met on Tuesday, that a part of the public saw these two processes as being inextricably linked.

“Of course, these processes have been kept separate, but I relayed to the ambassadors that in the event of postponement of the SAA initialing, certain sections of the public would see that as additional pressure vis-a-vis Serbia’s position over Kosovo,” he said.

Đelić believed that Serbia’s efforts in locating the remaining fugitives would be acknowledged, as representatives of the Hague Tribunal working with the state operative team tasked with the search could testify to it.