Ljajić: Mladić holding all Serbia hostage

Rasim Ljajić says that the government’s number one priority is the arrest of Ratko Mladić.

Izvor: Beta

Wednesday, 29.10.2008.

10:57

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Rasim Ljajic says that the government’s number one priority is the arrest of Ratko Mladic. “That is realistically the biggest problem for this government. Now, literally, all of Serbia is Ratko Mladic’s hostage,” the president of the National Council for Hague Cooperation told daily Vecernje Novosti. Ljajic: Mladic holding all Serbia hostage Asked whether Serbia would arrest and extradite the notorious Hague fugitive soon, Ljajic said “if we do not extradite Mladic to The Hague soon, Serbia’s road towards the EU would practically be blocked, and that would cause internal political problems. That would be a great failure for the government, which the opposition could capitalize on to endanger it politically.” He said that Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz would be in Belgrade on November 17-18. “That is three weeks before he gives his report on Serbian cooperation with the Tribunal to the UN Security Council on December 10. A period of intense activity in the search for the remaining Hague fugitives lies ahead,” Ljajic said. The National Council president said that the Mladic case was a “technical question” since he was hiding very well. “There is little chance that he will turn himself in if it has not done so already. But that would be the best option—for him and the country,” he said. Ljajic said that he did not expect the arrest of Mladic to cause unrest in the country. “I do not even expect large gatherings. This is the first time we have a small change in the mood of the general public according to the latest polls. The number of people supporting Mladic’s extradition has risen by four percent, jumping from 34 to 38 percent. Now only 44 are against it, down from 45 percent,” he said. The National Council president said that there was no information currently on how Mladic might look, but that “it’s hard to expect a huge transformation because of his specific look, which was the case with Radovan Karadzic as well.” Rasim Ljajic (Tanjug, archive)

Ljajić: Mladić holding all Serbia hostage

Asked whether Serbia would arrest and extradite the notorious Hague fugitive soon, Ljajić said “if we do not extradite Mladić to The Hague soon, Serbia’s road towards the EU would practically be blocked, and that would cause internal political problems. That would be a great failure for the government, which the opposition could capitalize on to endanger it politically.”

He said that Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz would be in Belgrade on November 17-18.

“That is three weeks before he gives his report on Serbian cooperation with the Tribunal to the UN Security Council on December 10. A period of intense activity in the search for the remaining Hague fugitives lies ahead,” Ljajić said.

The National Council president said that the Mladić case was a “technical question” since he was hiding very well.

“There is little chance that he will turn himself in if it has not done so already. But that would be the best option—for him and the country,” he said.

Ljajić said that he did not expect the arrest of Mladić to cause unrest in the country.

“I do not even expect large gatherings. This is the first time we have a small change in the mood of the general public according to the latest polls. The number of people supporting Mladić’s extradition has risen by four percent, jumping from 34 to 38 percent. Now only 44 are against it, down from 45 percent,” he said.

The National Council president said that there was no information currently on how Mladić might look, but that “it’s hard to expect a huge transformation because of his specific look, which was the case with Radovan Karadžić as well.”

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