Koštunica: Arrest “portrayed” as success

BELGRADE -- Vojislav Koštunica says the arrest of Radovan Karadžić is being portrayed as a success.

Vojislav Koštunica (FoNet, archive)

This comes at the time when the EU and the U.S. are pressuring Serbia to recognize Kosovo.

The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) leader told Belgrade daily Večernje Novosti that Serbia was under strong pressure from the U.S. and the EU to legalize the “kidnap of Kosovo” at a time when EULEX was trying to assume authority from the UNMIK mission, and when the U.S. and the EU were exerting pressure to increase the number of countries recognizing Kosovo’s unilateral independence.

At the same time, according to Koštunica, the Hague Tribunal was releasing war criminals Naser Orić and Ramush Haradinaj.

“The DSS has warned on two occasions recently that because of the acquittals of Haradinaj and Orić, Serbia needs to open the issue of whether the Tribunal has the legitimacy to justly try war crimes suspects,” the DSS leader stressed.

Karadžić was arrested in Belgrade on Monday.