New facts presented to EULEX investigator

BELGRADE Serbian Deputy War Crimes Prosecutor Bruno Vekaric said on Friday that new facts, which the prosecution found out, were presented to Clint Williamson. He underlined that the Serbian side would insist that the court instance be determined before which the proceedings would be conducted, if the investigation resulted in the issuance of an indictment. New facts presented to EULEX investigator The lead prosecutor of the EULEX task force in charge of the investigation into the trafficking in organs removed from kidnapped Serbs in Kosovo and northern Albania met with Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic and President Tomislav Nikolic on Thursday in Belgrade. Williamson informed the Serbian president that the investigation would encompass all crimes against Serbs described in the report of Council of Europe Special Rapporteur Dick Marty, explained Williamson. The Marty Report named the ethnic Albanian so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) as perpetrators of kidnappings, illegal imprisonment, and sale of body parts collected harvested from prisoners, mostly Serbs. Vekaric said that the problem was that the court before which the proceedings would be conducted was yet to be determined, and noted it would be better if that were the UN court as the topic stems from UN SC resolution 1244, but that the question remained as to how reasonable was to expect that given that the probe was being conducted by the EULEX team. He told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) that during the meeting, the data were exchanged, and that Serbian war crimes prosecution demonstrated willingness to cooperate, as Williamson's team was the only one that could arrive at results on human organ trafficking. “Releasing the witness' statement and making certain findings of the investigation public proved to be a good move,” Vekaric said, adding that it had opened a Pandora's box and yielded new facts that were presented to Williamson. “It is good that Williamson, who is head of the team and a political figure, met the Serbian government and President Tomislav Nikolic and got their unequivocal support for the investigation, which would also cover abductions and camps that preceded the harvesting of organs and trafficking,” he explained. Asked whether it might be expected that Williamson's team would manage to obtain the information on what had been going on in Albania and Kosovo, Vekaric said that would be the only real option, and that anything else would turn into political polemics. “It is important that there is an exchange of information on what was going on in northern Albania and Kosovo,” he said. Vukcevic says that further steps in the investigation of the human organ trafficking in Kosovo have been agreed with the EULEX investigator. “In some parts of the investigation we will act together, help each other in order to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” the prosecutor told daily Danas. He stressed that the Prosecution had new information that could be very valuable. “I think that the crime is linked to a different approach to the Kosovo problem and that some countries and international officials react emotionally to it, remembering bad stories and propaganda that came from Serbia in the 90s,” Vukcevic said. “Today is another time, we are devoted to Europe and its values, Serbia is a democratic country,” he said. According to him, the biggest problem in the investigation is the fact that people were afraid to talk about the events. When asked whether there was proof that Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders were involved in the organ trade or knew about it, Vukcevic said that he would not be a serious prosecutor if he convicted anyone before the trial but added that such things could not have happened by accident. Bruno Vekaric (FoNet, file) Danas Tanjug

New facts presented to EULEX investigator

The lead prosecutor of the EULEX task force in charge of the investigation into the trafficking in organs removed from kidnapped Serbs in Kosovo and northern Albania met with Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević and President Tomislav Nikolić on Thursday in Belgrade.

Williamson informed the Serbian president that the investigation would encompass all crimes against Serbs described in the report of Council of Europe Special Rapporteur Dick Marty, explained Williamson.

The Marty Report named the ethnic Albanian so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) as perpetrators of kidnappings, illegal imprisonment, and sale of body parts collected harvested from prisoners, mostly Serbs.

Vekarić said that the problem was that the court before which the proceedings would be conducted was yet to be determined, and noted it would be better if that were the UN court as the topic stems from UN SC resolution 1244, but that the question remained as to how reasonable was to expect that given that the probe was being conducted by the EULEX team.

He told Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) that during the meeting, the data were exchanged, and that Serbian war crimes prosecution demonstrated willingness to cooperate, as Williamson's team was the only one that could arrive at results on human organ trafficking.

“Releasing the witness' statement and making certain findings of the investigation public proved to be a good move,” Vekarić said, adding that it had opened a Pandora's box and yielded new facts that were presented to Williamson.

“It is good that Williamson, who is head of the team and a political figure, met the Serbian government and President Tomislav Nikolić and got their unequivocal support for the investigation, which would also cover abductions and camps that preceded the harvesting of organs and trafficking,” he explained.

Asked whether it might be expected that Williamson's team would manage to obtain the information on what had been going on in Albania and Kosovo, Vekarić said that would be the only real option, and that anything else would turn into political polemics.

“It is important that there is an exchange of information on what was going on in northern Albania and Kosovo,” he said.

Vukčević says that further steps in the investigation of the human organ trafficking in Kosovo have been agreed with the EULEX investigator.

“In some parts of the investigation we will act together, help each other in order to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” the prosecutor told daily Danas.

He stressed that the Prosecution had new information that could be very valuable.

“I think that the crime is linked to a different approach to the Kosovo problem and that some countries and international officials react emotionally to it, remembering bad stories and propaganda that came from Serbia in the 90s,” Vukčević said.

“Today is another time, we are devoted to Europe and its values, Serbia is a democratic country,” he said.

According to him, the biggest problem in the investigation is the fact that people were afraid to talk about the events.

When asked whether there was proof that Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders were involved in the organ trade or knew about it, Vukčević said that he would not be a serious prosecutor if he convicted anyone before the trial but added that such things could not have happened by accident.