Brammertz: Arrest Mladić, Hadžić

Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz voiced "realistic and careful optimism" in Belgrade on Wednesday. He addressed journalists saying he hoped that the search for the remaining two Hague indictees, Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, would be successful. Brammertz: Arrest Mladic, Hadzic "The key goal of our full cooperation is the arrest of Mladic and Hadzic," Brammertz told a joint news conference with head of the Serbian National Council for Hague Cooperation Rasim Ljajic. Brammertz voiced his belief that the new Serbian government would give all necessary political and logistic support to the fulfillment of the remaining issues of Serbia's cooperation with the Tribunal. Ljajic said he expected that the EU Council of Ministers, which will meet on September 15, would "appropriately evaluate" everything that Serbia had done in cooperation with the Tribunal. "We are aware of the remaining obligations and will do everything in our power to locate, arrest and extradite to the Tribunal the remaining Hague indictees," Ljajic said. The Hague chief prosecutor is scheduled to meet with President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Interior and Justice Ministers Ivica Dacic and Snezana Malovic, as well as Action Team members for the arrest of the remaining fugitives. Ahead of Brammertz’s visit, the first after the formation of the new government, neither the prosecutor nor his colleagues wished to discuss the details of the upcoming meetings. Rather, it has been announced that following talks with Ljajic and War Crimes Prosecutor Vukcevic, he will address the media with a “short statement”. Brammertz was expected to discuss old issues with the new government—the arrest of the remaining fugitives and the handover of documents from state archives to theTribunal. Officials in Belgrade claim that all documents that have been requested have already been delivered to Hague investigators and that cooperation in this area is complete. At the same time, the Serbian authorities insist that following the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, it is no longer possible to question Belgrade’s willingness to arrest Mladic and Hadzic. However, it is vital for Serbia that Brammertz shares this view. He called Karadzic’s arrest a “turning point in cooperation”, and thanked the authorities for that operation. If that view was reflected in his report to EU officials, it would maximize Serbia’s chances of at least partially unblocking the path to EU candidacy. EU senior officials Jose Manuel Barroso, Olli Rehn and Javier Solana have stated that a positive report from the Hague prosecutor could be a precedent for a decision to unblock the Temporary Agreement with the EU and the trade part of the Stabilization and Association Agreement by the end of September. Serge Brammertz meets with Vladimir Vukcevic (FoNet)

Brammertz: Arrest Mladić, Hadžić

"The key goal of our full cooperation is the arrest of Mladić and Hadžić," Brammertz told a joint news conference with head of the Serbian National Council for Hague Cooperation Rasim Ljajić.

Brammertz voiced his belief that the new Serbian government would give all necessary political and logistic support to the fulfillment of the remaining issues of Serbia's cooperation with the Tribunal.

Ljajić said he expected that the EU Council of Ministers, which will meet on September 15, would "appropriately evaluate" everything that Serbia had done in cooperation with the Tribunal.

"We are aware of the remaining obligations and will do everything in our power to locate, arrest and extradite to the Tribunal the remaining Hague indictees," Ljajić said.

The Hague chief prosecutor is scheduled to meet with President Boris Tadić and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, Interior and Justice Ministers Ivica Dačić and Snežana Malović, as well as Action Team members for the arrest of the remaining fugitives.

Ahead of Brammertz’s visit, the first after the formation of the new government, neither the prosecutor nor his colleagues wished to discuss the details of the upcoming meetings. Rather, it has been announced that following talks with Ljajić and War Crimes Prosecutor Vukčević, he will address the media with a “short statement”.

Brammertz was expected to discuss old issues with the new government—the arrest of the remaining fugitives and the handover of documents from state archives to theTribunal.

Officials in Belgrade claim that all documents that have been requested have already been delivered to Hague investigators and that cooperation in this area is complete. At the same time, the Serbian authorities insist that following the arrest of Radovan Karadžić, it is no longer possible to question Belgrade’s willingness to arrest Mladić and Hadžić.

However, it is vital for Serbia that Brammertz shares this view. He called Karadžić’s arrest a “turning point in cooperation”, and thanked the authorities for that operation. If that view was reflected in his report to EU officials, it would maximize Serbia’s chances of at least partially unblocking the path to EU candidacy.

EU senior officials Jose Manuel Barroso, Olli Rehn and Javier Solana have stated that a positive report from the Hague prosecutor could be a precedent for a decision to unblock the Temporary Agreement with the EU and the trade part of the Stabilization and Association Agreement by the end of September.