"Hague, Kosovo shouldn't be misused for elections"

Boris Tadic says issues like Kosovo and the Hague should not be misused for pre-election rhetoric. In an interview carried by Tanjug, the president added that it would be "beneficial for the Hague Tribunal’s legitimacy to reconsider its decision to acquit Ramush Haradinaj". "Hague, Kosovo shouldn't be misused for elections" “It’s not good to make these kinds of statements just to win the odd vote, and not then bear the consequences of what you say,“ he cautioned. The Democratic Party (DS) leader said that the Tribunal’s ruling in the Haradinaj case “was entirely unjustified and Serbia has every right to say so, but it would be good if certain politicians withheld from emotional reactions, because the interests of Serbian citizens should not be jeopardized under any circumstances,“ adding that words can never replace responsible state policy. “There’s a plethora of witness statements to crimes against Serbs, Roma and Albanians that Haradinaj was involved in, and that make your hair stand on end. I’ve asked the Tribunal Prosecution to lodge an appeal against the verdict, because justice must be done, and terrible war crimes should be suitably punished,“ he said. Tadic said that “Del Ponte herself said that many witnesses in this trial had refused to testify because of intimidation, while others were murdered.“ “So, the Prosecution is aware of what’s at stake, and that’s why it would be a good idea to reconsider the verdict for the sake of the Tribunal’s legitimacy,“ the president suggested. Asked about the Hague’s legitimacy and whether Serbia should continue to cooperate with it, he said that it was in the citizens’ interests for all the accused to be allowed to defend themselves. “It would be better to ask the following question: is it in the interests of Serbia and its citizens for people suspected of the most terrible atrocitities to be walking the streets? Or is it better for them to have the chance to confront those accusations in court and defend themselves? Does anyone think that the wounds from the conflicts of the Nineties will ever heal if the perpetrators aren’t punished? And I mean all the guilty ones, regardless of nationality,“ Tadic underlined. Asked whether Serbia should accept NATO’s invitation to intensify dialogue, the DS leader said the country should promote its status within the Partnership for Peace program, and through it, enhance its military potential and international standing, as a key factor for peace and stability in the Balkans. “All other decisions, when the time comes, will be taken by the people, and no party or individual can deprive them of this right,“ he stressed. Boris Tadic (Tanjug, archive)

"Hague, Kosovo shouldn't be misused for elections"

“It’s not good to make these kinds of statements just to win the odd vote, and not then bear the consequences of what you say,“ he cautioned.

The Democratic Party (DS) leader said that the Tribunal’s ruling in the Haradinaj case “was entirely unjustified and Serbia has every right to say so, but it would be good if certain politicians withheld from emotional reactions, because the interests of Serbian citizens should not be jeopardized under any circumstances,“ adding that words can never replace responsible state policy.

“There’s a plethora of witness statements to crimes against Serbs, Roma and Albanians that Haradinaj was involved in, and that make your hair stand on end. I’ve asked the Tribunal Prosecution to lodge an appeal against the verdict, because justice must be done, and terrible war crimes should be suitably punished,“ he said.

Tadić said that “Del Ponte herself said that many witnesses in this trial had refused to testify because of intimidation, while others were murdered.“

“So, the Prosecution is aware of what’s at stake, and that’s why it would be a good idea to reconsider the verdict for the sake of the Tribunal’s legitimacy,“ the president suggested.

Asked about the Hague’s legitimacy and whether Serbia should continue to cooperate with it, he said that it was in the citizens’ interests for all the accused to be allowed to defend themselves.

“It would be better to ask the following question: is it in the interests of Serbia and its citizens for people suspected of the most terrible atrocitities to be walking the streets? Or is it better for them to have the chance to confront those accusations in court and defend themselves? Does anyone think that the wounds from the conflicts of the Nineties will ever heal if the perpetrators aren’t punished? And I mean all the guilty ones, regardless of nationality,“ Tadić underlined.

Asked whether Serbia should accept NATO’s invitation to intensify dialogue, the DS leader said the country should promote its status within the Partnership for Peace program, and through it, enhance its military potential and international standing, as a key factor for peace and stability in the Balkans.

“All other decisions, when the time comes, will be taken by the people, and no party or individual can deprive them of this right,“ he stressed.