Tadić calls claims govt. knew where Mladić was "rubbish"

President Boris Tadic told CNN that claims that Serbia's authorities knew for years where Ratko Mladic was hiding were “rubbish.” “I have been hearing many comments after the arrest of Ratko Mladic and I can say this kind of comment - that we knew where Ratko Mladic was for years - let me use a quite undiplomatic wording, is rubbish,” Tadic told the U.S. cable network in an interview late on Thursday. Tadic calls claims govt. knew where Mladic was "rubbish" He stressed the Serbian government had been working very hard on arresting Mladic since the beginning of its term. "I will reiterate once again that we have worked very hard in order to arrest him and finally managed to do that," Tadic said. He recalled that Mladic had been indicted 16 years ago and that the democratic changes in Serbia had taken place after that, in 2000. “Within two first years of the mandate of the democratic government they were trying to capture all indictees, including Slobodan Milosevic, and also 44 other indictees, but this government has been working on arresting Ratko Mladic from the beginning of its term, two and a half years ago, and at the end of the term of this government, we did it,” the Serbian president said. Asked who helped protecttThe Hague Tribunal fugitive, Tadic said that he did not know exactly, but that he believed that at the beginning of the process, Mladic (officially at large since the end of 1996) had been under the protection of some members of the Serbian army but had later been protected only by a few members of his family. “At the beginning of that process, I thought for sure that people from our forces have been protecting him, but after that he changed people who were protecting him, and at the end of the day I think that he was protected by a very small group of people from his family,” Tadic said, adding that Serbian authorities would investigate everything announce what they had found out about the events over the past sixteen years. Answering the question as to whether he believes the military was involved, Tadic said “in the beginning, I truly believed that that was the case, but at the end of that process I do not believe it.” The Serbian president stressed that after Mladic's arrest, all war crimes charges must be investigated, including the allegations about illegal trade in human organs perpetrated by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians contained in the relevant report by Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty. Asked when Mladic will be delivered to The Hague, he said it was dependent on the court procedure, but that he expected it would happen over the next few days. “Within seven days he will be sent to The Hague Tribunal,” the Serbian president said. Tadic dismissed the speculation that possible protests against the arrest might destabilize Serbia. “I do not expect that we will have that kind of tension like a destabilization of my country and I am totally sure that we can handle that challenge right now. We reached a catharsis when we delivered to The Hague Tribunal Mr. Radovan Karadzic two and a half years ago, and right now we are fulfilling our obligations and I am not expecting that some extreme groups will try to destabilize Serbia,” President Tadic pointed out. Asked whether the timing of Mladic' arrest was purposely planned, Tadic said “this is not about our plan, this is about our intentions to fulfill our obligations from the beginning of the term of this government.” “Unfortunately, we could not deliver him at the beginning of the term, but we did that with the other key indictee, Radovan Karadzic. We have been trying to arrest Ratko Mladic in the past two and a half years, from the beginning of the term of this government,” Tadic concluded. Tadic in Belgrade on Thursday (Tanjug)

Tadić calls claims govt. knew where Mladić was "rubbish"

He stressed the Serbian government had been working very hard on arresting Mladić since the beginning of its term.

"I will reiterate once again that we have worked very hard in order to arrest him and finally managed to do that," Tadić said.

He recalled that Mladić had been indicted 16 years ago and that the democratic changes in Serbia had taken place after that, in 2000.

“Within two first years of the mandate of the democratic government they were trying to capture all indictees, including Slobodan Milošević, and also 44 other indictees, but this government has been working on arresting Ratko Mladić from the beginning of its term, two and a half years ago, and at the end of the term of this government, we did it,” the Serbian president said.

Asked who helped protecttThe Hague Tribunal fugitive, Tadić said that he did not know exactly, but that he believed that at the beginning of the process, Mladić (officially at large since the end of 1996) had been under the protection of some members of the Serbian army but had later been protected only by a few members of his family.

“At the beginning of that process, I thought for sure that people from our forces have been protecting him, but after that he changed people who were protecting him, and at the end of the day I think that he was protected by a very small group of people from his family,” Tadić said, adding that Serbian authorities would investigate everything announce what they had found out about the events over the past sixteen years.

Answering the question as to whether he believes the military was involved, Tadić said “in the beginning, I truly believed that that was the case, but at the end of that process I do not believe it.”

The Serbian president stressed that after Mladić's arrest, all war crimes charges must be investigated, including the allegations about illegal trade in human organs perpetrated by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians contained in the relevant report by Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty.

Asked when Mladić will be delivered to The Hague, he said it was dependent on the court procedure, but that he expected it would happen over the next few days.

“Within seven days he will be sent to The Hague Tribunal,” the Serbian president said.

Tadić dismissed the speculation that possible protests against the arrest might destabilize Serbia.

“I do not expect that we will have that kind of tension like a destabilization of my country and I am totally sure that we can handle that challenge right now. We reached a catharsis when we delivered to The Hague Tribunal Mr. Radovan Karadžić two and a half years ago, and right now we are fulfilling our obligations and I am not expecting that some extreme groups will try to destabilize Serbia,” President Tadić pointed out.

Asked whether the timing of Mladić' arrest was purposely planned, Tadić said “this is not about our plan, this is about our intentions to fulfill our obligations from the beginning of the term of this government.”

“Unfortunately, we could not deliver him at the beginning of the term, but we did that with the other key indictee, Radovan Karadžić. We have been trying to arrest Ratko Mladić in the past two and a half years, from the beginning of the term of this government,” Tadić concluded.