Chief Hague prosecutor in Serbia visit

Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz met on Tuesday with Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic to discuss current cases and the Serbian judiciary. They also talked about prosecution of accomplices of Hague indictees. Chief Hague prosecutor in Serbia visit We continue to fight together, Brammertz was quoted as saying after the meeting with Vukcevic by Deputy Prosecutor Bruno Vekaric, who also attended the meeting at the Special Court in Belgrade. Vekaric told reporters that Brammertz is interested in several cases but cannot talk about them for objective reasons. We have a joint action plan that we will continue to operate, Vekaric said. He added that problems that have recently appeared in some cases regarding protection of witnesses were also discussed. He specified that Vukcevic and Brammertz considered the possibility of signing next week in The Hague a protocol on cooperation between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina on the transfer of evidence if the Bosnian side consents. Ahead of his Belgrade trip, Brammertz was asked whether Serbia's EU integration bid "should still be conditioned", and said that this was a decision "for Brussels, not The Hague": "That question should be posed to those who determined the conditions. I understood that there was still conditioning. But in October of last year the EU said it clearly that the best proof of cooperation as the arrest of the remaining two fugitives. They have been arrested. It's up to the EU to give a political significance to those arrests. But that's a decision for Brussels, not for The Hague". Serge Brammertz (FoNet, file)

Chief Hague prosecutor in Serbia visit

We continue to fight together, Brammertz was quoted as saying after the meeting with Vukčević by Deputy Prosecutor Bruno Vekarić, who also attended the meeting at the Special Court in Belgrade.

Vekarić told reporters that Brammertz is interested in several cases but cannot talk about them for objective reasons.

We have a joint action plan that we will continue to operate, Vekarić said.

He added that problems that have recently appeared in some cases regarding protection of witnesses were also discussed.

He specified that Vukčević and Brammertz considered the possibility of signing next week in The Hague a protocol on cooperation between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina on the transfer of evidence if the Bosnian side consents.

Ahead of his Belgrade trip, Brammertz was asked whether Serbia's EU integration bid "should still be conditioned", and said that this was a decision "for Brussels, not The Hague":

"That question should be posed to those who determined the conditions. I understood that there was still conditioning. But in October of last year the EU said it clearly that the best proof of cooperation as the arrest of the remaining two fugitives. They have been arrested. It's up to the EU to give a political significance to those arrests. But that's a decision for Brussels, not for The Hague".