Belgrade supports work of KLA war crimes court - Dacic

Belgrade supports work of KLA war crimes court - Dacic

Dacic said that the establishment of these institutions is a form of meeting the demands of Serbia to investigate crimes committed against Serbs during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia on equal footing, which has not been the case so far, the MFA said in a statement carried on the Serbian government's website.

Dacic "promised logistic and legal support to the Prosecutor's Office, with the expectation that the operational part of the process will begin as soon as possible."

Schwendiman said that this was his first visit to the region since taking office, as part of which he also visited Pristina, with the aim to get acquainted with representatives of relevant institutions of the Serbian government with whom he will cooperate in the future.

He added that he expects to receive help once he starts making requests for cooperation in relation to specific cases.

The prosecutor "emphasized that, as a professional, he will take care that investigations that have lasted longer than four years be turned into concrete indictments and to complete his work, and expressed his conviction that the victims and survivors need to get satisfaction and be treated with respect."

The meeting was attended by Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President of the Commission for Missing Persons Veljko Odalovic, who spoke with Schwendiman about his experiences and knowledge in working with the families of missing persons.

Schwendiman asked Odalovic to convey to the families of the missing his interest and commitment.

The Special Prosecutor's Office will investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity that were committed from 1998 until the end of 2000 in Kosovo and Metohija, to which the report of Dick Marty submitted to the Council of Europe in 2011 refers.

The Special Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Schwendiman, was established on September 1, 2016, with the headquarters in The Hague and currently has 35 staff, with the plan to increase that number to 65.

The support for opening an office of the Special Prosecutor in Belgrade is expected, and to access to relevant documents and witnesses, according to the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.