Brammertz meets with Serbian officials

Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz has arrived for his first official visit to Belgrade since replacing Carla Del Ponte at the start of this year. Brammertz said that he had “particularly insisted” to his partners in Belgrade on the arrests of Ratko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic, Goran Hadzic and Stojan Zupljanin. Brammertz meets with Serbian officials He stated that it was of the utmost importance that those four refugees were brought to trial as soon as possible. After his meeting with War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic, the prosecutor told journalists that he had talked about the transfer of documents demanded by the Prosecutor’s Office, access to Serbian state institutions’ archives, witness protection, and the investigation of fugitive support networks. Meanwhile, President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajic said that he had informed Brammertz of his dismay at the acquittal of Ramush Haradinaj, and had directed his attention to the possible negative implications of such rulings, as well as to the public’s reaction to the Tribunal. Ljajic added that that acquittal could become serious grounds for public scepticism in Serbia as to the Tribunal’s impartiality and political neutrality. The Council president confirmed that Serbia had continued to cooperate fully, stating that Serbia had responded in full to 143 of the Tribunal’s 165 requests concerning documentation and the release of witnesses from their obligations to state secrecy. He said that other requests would be dealt with in the very near future, and that cooperation with the Tribunal on this matter had been entirely satisfactory from the very start. Brammertz started his meeting with a discussion with Ljajic first, then Vukcevic and members of the team responsible for carrying out the Action Plan to locate, arrest and extradite Hague fugitives, including state security and secret service bosses, and a chief of police. The prosecutor will later talk separately to President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica. He is not expected to submit a new appraisal on Belgrade's cooperation with the Tribunal until his regular report to the UN Security Council is due in mid-May. The last cooperation appraisal was submitted by Del Ponte at the end of last year, where Serbia failed to receive pass marks. Full cooperation is a key condition for signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU. Meanwhile, Ljajic says that Holland is not the only country that opposes the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between Serbia and the EU, which is why the SAA probably will not be signed in April. The president of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal said in an interview with daily Vecernje Novosti that the “net is closing in” around Hague fugitive Stojan Zupljanin. He said that as far as Ratko Mladic was concerned, there was some evidence that certain people could lead to him, but that lead was still being looked into. Ljajic added that he would send a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today asking him to take measures against UNMIK members who had obstructed cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in the Ramush Haradinaj trial. Brammertz meets Tadic (Tanjug) "Haradinaj acquittal travesty of justice" Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica met on Thursday with Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz to discuss Serbia's cooperation with The Hague Tribunal. Kostunica devoted special attention to the fact that the Tribunal's decision to acquit Ramush Haradinaj of all charges of war crimes had raised doubts as to the court's legitimacy, the government's press office said in a statement. The prime minister said that had the Hague Tribunal sentenced Haradinaj to at least one day in prison it would still have been a grave injustice, but that the decision to free him made a complete mockery of the concept of justice. He underlined that Serbia had presented more than enough evidence for the crimes Haradinaj had committed, and that any real court would have reached a just verdict on the basis of that evidence. Since the Hague Tribunal had found Haradinaj not guilty, Serbia had every right to question the legitimacy of the The Hague Tribunal as an institution capable of reaching just verdicts, Kostunica underlined. The prime minister said that establishing the ICTY's legitimacy was an obligation Serbia had towards the innocent victims of Haradinaj's crimes. During the talks, he also raised the issue of the trade in organs of kidnapped Serbs in Kosovo. Brammertz said that the Hague had not found enough evidence to launch an investigation into the organ trade, and that he believed that it was for the competent authorities in Kosovo and Albania to look into those cases, the statement said.

Brammertz meets with Serbian officials

He stated that it was of the utmost importance that those four refugees were brought to trial as soon as possible.

After his meeting with War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević, the prosecutor told journalists that he had talked about the transfer of documents demanded by the Prosecutor’s Office, access to Serbian state institutions’ archives, witness protection, and the investigation of fugitive support networks.

Meanwhile, President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajić said that he had informed Brammertz of his dismay at the acquittal of Ramush Haradinaj, and had directed his attention to the possible negative implications of such rulings, as well as to the public’s reaction to the Tribunal.

Ljajić added that that acquittal could become serious grounds for public scepticism in Serbia as to the Tribunal’s impartiality and political neutrality.

The Council president confirmed that Serbia had continued to cooperate fully, stating that Serbia had responded in full to 143 of the Tribunal’s 165 requests concerning documentation and the release of witnesses from their obligations to state secrecy.

He said that other requests would be dealt with in the very near future, and that cooperation with the Tribunal on this matter had been entirely satisfactory from the very start.

Brammertz started his meeting with a discussion with Ljajić first, then Vukčević and members of the team responsible for carrying out the Action Plan to locate, arrest and extradite Hague fugitives, including state security and secret service bosses, and a chief of police.

The prosecutor will later talk separately to President Boris Tadić and Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica.

He is not expected to submit a new appraisal on Belgrade's cooperation with the Tribunal until his regular report to the UN Security Council is due in mid-May.

The last cooperation appraisal was submitted by Del Ponte at the end of last year, where Serbia failed to receive pass marks. Full cooperation is a key condition for signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU.

Meanwhile, Ljajić says that Holland is not the only country that opposes the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between Serbia and the EU, which is why the SAA probably will not be signed in April.

The president of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal said in an interview with daily Večernje Novosti that the “net is closing in” around Hague fugitive Stojan Župljanin.

He said that as far as Ratko Mladić was concerned, there was some evidence that certain people could lead to him, but that lead was still being looked into.

Ljajić added that he would send a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today asking him to take measures against UNMIK members who had obstructed cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in the Ramush Haradinaj trial.

"Haradinaj acquittal travesty of justice"

Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica met on Thursday with Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz to discuss Serbia's cooperation with The Hague Tribunal.

Koštunica devoted special attention to the fact that the Tribunal's decision to acquit Ramush Haradinaj of all charges of war crimes had raised doubts as to the court's legitimacy, the government's press office said in a statement.

The prime minister said that had the Hague Tribunal sentenced Haradinaj to at least one day in prison it would still have been a grave injustice, but that the decision to free him made a complete mockery of the concept of justice.

He underlined that Serbia had presented more than enough evidence for the crimes Haradinaj had committed, and that any real court would have reached a just verdict on the basis of that evidence.

Since the Hague Tribunal had found Haradinaj not guilty, Serbia had every right to question the legitimacy of the The Hague Tribunal as an institution capable of reaching just verdicts, Koštunica underlined.

The prime minister said that establishing the ICTY's legitimacy was an obligation Serbia had towards the innocent victims of Haradinaj's crimes.

During the talks, he also raised the issue of the trade in organs of kidnapped Serbs in Kosovo.

Brammertz said that the Hague had not found enough evidence to launch an investigation into the organ trade, and that he believed that it was for the competent authorities in Kosovo and Albania to look into those cases, the statement said.