Brammertz rounds off trip, report due in May

Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz finished his visit to Belgrade today. His spokeswoman Olga Kavran said that Brammertz would be submitting a report on Serbia’s cooperation with the Tribunal to the United Nations Security Council in May. Brammertz rounds off trip, report due in May Kavran, however, did not want to speculate about what the contents of the report would be. “I don’t want to speculate on what to expect in May,” Kavran said, adding that Brammertz had just finished his first trip to Serbia, and was just getting to know people. She said that the “support network here, the majority of the Hague fugitives’ families, are located either in Serbia or nearby.” Speaking of transferring cases from the Tribunal, Kavran said that one case had been transferred to Serbia, but that there was no information on other cases that could potentially be transferred to the domestic courts. Brammertz met today with Belgrade Municipal Court President Sinisa Vazic, War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic, and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. The Hague prosecutor told Vazic that he was pleased with the recent work of the court and the war crimes committee. Vazic introduced Brammertz to the work of the war crimes committee and the problems judges faced on an every day basis, court spokeswoman Ivana Ramic said. Jeremic discussed the resumption of cooperation between Serbia and the Hague Tribunal with the prosecutor. He informed Brammertz that Serbia was very unhappy with the acquittal of former Kosovo Liberation Army Commander Ramush Haradinaj, and that Serbia expected the Tribunal prosecution to appeal the verdict, according to a press release from the Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Minister once against reiterated that Belgrade was willing to successfully complete cooperation with the Tribunal, stressing that all war criminals from the territory of the former Yugoslavia must be brought to justice and extradited to The Hague. Sege Brammertz with Vladimir Vukcevic (FoNet) Brammertz wants fugitives behind bars Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz called in Belgrade yesterday for the remaining war crimes fugitives to be arrested. Brammertz said the arrest of the four remaining war crimes fugitives is of critical importance, adding that Serbia needs to make some headway in its cooperation with the court, Beta news agency reported. Speaking in Belgrade after a meeting with War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic, Brammertz urged the authorities to arrest Ratko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic, Stojan Zupljanin, and Goran Hadzic, and bring them to justice. In his first official visit to Serbia, Brammertz said that government representatives had briefed him on the effort to apprehend Zupljanin, adding that more progress is needed across the board. Brammertz said that Rasim Ljajic, who heads the National Council on Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, Prosecutor Vukcevic and himself had discussed a number of important issues related to documentation, access to Serbian archives, witness protection, and investigations into the groups helping the fugitives evade capture. President Boris Tadic and Ljajic emphasized that Serbia is ready to wrap up the process of cooperation with the Hague, while expressing their anger over the acquittal of former KLA leader and Kosovo premier Ramush Haradinaj. "Serbia has a clear view that every person who committed war crimes in the former Yugoslavia has to be prosecuted in The Hague regardless of ethnic origin," Tadic said, adding that Serbia is doing what it can to meet its obligations to the international court. Tadic also described the Haradinaj verdict as an injustice, adding that the Serbian public has a right to be angry. "I hope that the Prosecution will file an appeal," Tadic added. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica called the Haradinaj verdict "a mockery of justice that questions the very legitimacy of the international tribunal." In a subsequent news conference, Brammertz said that Hague prosecutors are no less discontent with the outcome of the Haradinaj trial, adding that they are carefully investigating the 300-page indictment to determine if there are grounds for an appeal. Brammertz went on to say that he will be filing his report on cooperation with Serbia with the UN Security Council and will fly to New York to present it personally in June. Prosecution spokeswoman Olga Kavran said that the Prosecution was considering the possibility of filing an appeal against the acquittal of Ramush Haradinaj, but that such a decision had not been reached yet. The deadline for announcing the appeal is 30 days as of the reaching of the verdict, Kavran told reporters. Kavran also recently said that officials from Brussels could meet with Brammertz to discuss the Hague's relationship with Serbia since full cooperation with the court is a condition for the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). Neither the chief prosecutor nor his hosts spoke to journalists. Only Kavran did so, who said that the prosecution had not discovered any evidence to back claims that Kosovo Serbs had been held captive in KLA camps in Albania and that there organs had been removed there, which former Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte talks about in her book.

Brammertz rounds off trip, report due in May

Kavran, however, did not want to speculate about what the contents of the report would be.

“I don’t want to speculate on what to expect in May,” Kavran said, adding that Brammertz had just finished his first trip to Serbia, and was just getting to know people.

She said that the “support network here, the majority of the Hague fugitives’ families, are located either in Serbia or nearby.”

Speaking of transferring cases from the Tribunal, Kavran said that one case had been transferred to Serbia, but that there was no information on other cases that could potentially be transferred to the domestic courts.

Brammertz met today with Belgrade Municipal Court President Siniša Važić, War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević, and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić.

The Hague prosecutor told Važić that he was pleased with the recent work of the court and the war crimes committee.

Važić introduced Brammertz to the work of the war crimes committee and the problems judges faced on an every day basis, court spokeswoman Ivana Ramić said.

Jeremić discussed the resumption of cooperation between Serbia and the Hague Tribunal with the prosecutor.

He informed Brammertz that Serbia was very unhappy with the acquittal of former Kosovo Liberation Army Commander Ramush Haradinaj, and that Serbia expected the Tribunal prosecution to appeal the verdict, according to a press release from the Foreign Ministry.

The Foreign Minister once against reiterated that Belgrade was willing to successfully complete cooperation with the Tribunal, stressing that all war criminals from the territory of the former Yugoslavia must be brought to justice and extradited to The Hague.

Brammertz wants fugitives behind bars

Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz called in Belgrade yesterday for the remaining war crimes fugitives to be arrested.

Brammertz said the arrest of the four remaining war crimes fugitives is of critical importance, adding that Serbia needs to make some headway in its cooperation with the court, Beta news agency reported.

Speaking in Belgrade after a meeting with War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević, Brammertz urged the authorities to arrest Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karadžić, Stojan Župljanin, and Goran Hadžić, and bring them to justice.

In his first official visit to Serbia, Brammertz said that government representatives had briefed him on the effort to apprehend Župljanin, adding that more progress is needed across the board.

Brammertz said that Rasim Ljajić, who heads the National Council on Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, Prosecutor Vukčević and himself had discussed a number of important issues related to documentation, access to Serbian archives, witness protection, and investigations into the groups helping the fugitives evade capture.

President Boris Tadić and Ljajic emphasized that Serbia is ready to wrap up the process of cooperation with the Hague, while expressing their anger over the acquittal of former KLA leader and Kosovo premier Ramush Haradinaj.

"Serbia has a clear view that every person who committed war crimes in the former Yugoslavia has to be prosecuted in The Hague regardless of ethnic origin," Tadić said, adding that Serbia is doing what it can to meet its obligations to the international court.

Tadić also described the Haradinaj verdict as an injustice, adding that the Serbian public has a right to be angry. "I hope that the Prosecution will file an appeal," Tadić added.

Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica called the Haradinaj verdict "a mockery of justice that questions the very legitimacy of the international tribunal."

In a subsequent news conference, Brammertz said that Hague prosecutors are no less discontent with the outcome of the Haradinaj trial, adding that they are carefully investigating the 300-page indictment to determine if there are grounds for an appeal.

Brammertz went on to say that he will be filing his report on cooperation with Serbia with the UN Security Council and will fly to New York to present it personally in June.

Prosecution spokeswoman Olga Kavran said that the Prosecution was considering the possibility of filing an appeal against the acquittal of Ramush Haradinaj, but that such a decision had not been reached yet.

The deadline for announcing the appeal is 30 days as of the reaching of the verdict, Kavran told reporters.

Kavran also recently said that officials from Brussels could meet with Brammertz to discuss the Hague's relationship with Serbia since full cooperation with the court is a condition for the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA).

Neither the chief prosecutor nor his hosts spoke to journalists. Only Kavran did so, who said that the prosecution had not discovered any evidence to back claims that Kosovo Serbs had been held captive in KLA camps in Albania and that there organs had been removed there, which former Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte talks about in her book.