“Mladić, Hadžić won’t go unpunished”

Serge Brammertz says Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic must not be allowed to think they will go unpunished when the Hague Tribunal closes its doors. In an interview with London’s Financial Times, the Hague chief prosecutor commented on the degree of cooperation that Serbia and Croatia had achieved with the Hague. “Mladic, Hadzic won’t go unpunished” IThe newspaper noted that EU entreaties for cooperation over the past three years had been, for the most part, directed only at Belgrade. With regards to Serbia, the London newspaper said that Brammertz had dropped the phrase “full cooperation” from his vocabulary, and adds that the prosecutor is urging countries in the region to help the Hague complete its work, bearing in mind the court will reduce its workload from 2010 onwards. However, while Serbia is trying to track down fugitives, its adversary from the 90s, Croatia, is beginning to stall in fulfilling other legislative obligations, says the prosecutor. “Missing documents, which could be somewhere in the Croatian military archives, could prove the guilt of Ante Gotovina, a former general of the Croatian army, who is accused of expelling Serbs at the end of the war,” Brammertz added. A year and half has passed and the Prosecutor's Office is still waiting to receive the documentation it requested from Zagreb. The required documents refer to heavy artillery the Croatian army used in Operation Storm at the beginning of August 1995. “An internal Croatian investigation about the documents, which the court ordered months ago, was only partially satisfactory because they found useful police dossiers, but there was very little documentation about the artillery among them,” said Brammertz. The Hague prosecutor’s dissatisfaction could be yet another obstacle in the difficult negotiations over Croatia's EU membership, said the London newspaper, as hope that all remaining work and negotiations with Brussels would be finished this year fades. The Financial Times argued that the prosecutor was being mindful of not showing too much impatience and, in contrast to his predecessor, Carla Del Ponte, trying not to come to blows with officials in the region. In doing so, he demonstrates an understanding of the sensitivity he will meet amongst the respective countries’ public opinion over the issue of cooperation with the Hague, said the newspaper. “We’re trying to achieve greater cooperation, partnership and friendliness than we had earlier,” said Brammertz, adding that it was up to the EU to decide how much political weight to give to the appraisals of the Hague court. Serge Brammertz (Beta, archive)

“Mladić, Hadžić won’t go unpunished”

IThe newspaper noted that EU entreaties for cooperation over the past three years had been, for the most part, directed only at Belgrade.

With regards to Serbia, the London newspaper said that Brammertz had dropped the phrase “full cooperation” from his vocabulary, and adds that the prosecutor is urging countries in the region to help the Hague complete its work, bearing in mind the court will reduce its workload from 2010 onwards.

However, while Serbia is trying to track down fugitives, its adversary from the 90s, Croatia, is beginning to stall in fulfilling other legislative obligations, says the prosecutor.

“Missing documents, which could be somewhere in the Croatian military archives, could prove the guilt of Ante Gotovina, a former general of the Croatian army, who is accused of expelling Serbs at the end of the war,” Brammertz added. A year and half has passed and the Prosecutor's Office is still waiting to receive the documentation it requested from Zagreb.

The required documents refer to heavy artillery the Croatian army used in Operation Storm at the beginning of August 1995.

“An internal Croatian investigation about the documents, which the court ordered months ago, was only partially satisfactory because they found useful police dossiers, but there was very little documentation about the artillery among them,” said Brammertz.

The Hague prosecutor’s dissatisfaction could be yet another obstacle in the difficult negotiations over Croatia's EU membership, said the London newspaper, as hope that all remaining work and negotiations with Brussels would be finished this year fades.

The Financial Times argued that the prosecutor was being mindful of not showing too much impatience and, in contrast to his predecessor, Carla Del Ponte, trying not to come to blows with officials in the region. In doing so, he demonstrates an understanding of the sensitivity he will meet amongst the respective countries’ public opinion over the issue of cooperation with the Hague, said the newspaper.

“We’re trying to achieve greater cooperation, partnership and friendliness than we had earlier,” said Brammertz, adding that it was up to the EU to decide how much political weight to give to the appraisals of the Hague court.