“Serbia will do everything to arrest indictees”

Late on Thursday, Serbian President Boris Tadic meet the visiting chief Hague prosecutor, Serge Brammertz. Tadic informed Brammertz that Serbia will do everything to locate, arrest and transfer the two remaining Hague indictees, the president's press service said in a statement. “Serbia will do everything to arrest indictees” Brammertz, who arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday, earlier met with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Rasim Ljajic, War Crime Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic and representatives of the Security and Information Service. Further course of the process of Serbia's European integrations, that is the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), depends on Brammertz's report, it was said in the statement. Namely, the Netherlands insists that the SAA could be unblocked only if Serbia arrests Ratko Mladic or if Brammertz gives a positive evaluation of the country's cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. Tadic, Brammertz meet in Belgrade (Beta) “Mladic indictment to be made more specific” Dusan Ignjatovic, head of the Serbian Government Office for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, said on Thursday that the amendments to the indictment against former military leader of Bosnia's Serbs Ratko Mladic, but instead more specific in order to match the latest findings. The new indictment will probably be very similar to the one against former political leader of Bosnia's Serbs Radovan Karadzic, which leaves open the possibility to merge these two trials if Mladic is arrested in the foreseeable future. Commenting on Brammertz's announcement that his office filed an amended Mladic indictment, Ignjatovic noted that the indictment has been amended several times so far. "We still do not know all the details of the new request, but we do know that the indictment had 15 counts after its last amendments in 2002, while the new one, according to today's announcement by the Prosecutor's Office, has 11 counts, so it will not be broader," said Ignjatovic. According to him, the new indictment lists the most serious crimes: genocide in several municipalities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, genocide in Srebrenica in particular, siege of Sarajevo and hostage-taking of UN peacekeepers. Mladic is still being accused of the heaviest war crimes between 1992 and 1995, said Ignjatovic, adding that it means the amended indictment will not make his legal position any more difficult or easier.

“Serbia will do everything to arrest indictees”

Brammertz, who arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday, earlier met with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Rasim Ljajić, War Crime Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević and representatives of the Security and Information Service.

Further course of the process of Serbia's European integrations, that is the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), depends on Brammertz's report, it was said in the statement.

Namely, the Netherlands insists that the SAA could be unblocked only if Serbia arrests Ratko Mladić or if Brammertz gives a positive evaluation of the country's cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

“Mladić indictment to be made more specific”

Dušan Ignjatović, head of the Serbian Government Office for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, said on Thursday that the amendments to the indictment against former military leader of Bosnia's Serbs Ratko Mladić, but instead more specific in order to match the latest findings.

The new indictment will probably be very similar to the one against former political leader of Bosnia's Serbs Radovan Karadžić, which leaves open the possibility to merge these two trials if Mladić is arrested in the foreseeable future.

Commenting on Brammertz's announcement that his office filed an amended Mladić indictment, Ignjatović noted that the indictment has been amended several times so far.

"We still do not know all the details of the new request, but we do know that the indictment had 15 counts after its last amendments in 2002, while the new one, according to today's announcement by the Prosecutor's Office, has 11 counts, so it will not be broader," said Ignjatović.

According to him, the new indictment lists the most serious crimes: genocide in several municipalities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, genocide in Srebrenica in particular, siege of Sarajevo and hostage-taking of UN peacekeepers.

Mladić is still being accused of the heaviest war crimes between 1992 and 1995, said Ignjatović, adding that it means the amended indictment will not make his legal position any more difficult or easier.