Dutch parliament briefed about Serbia

The Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said that "conditioning and pressure" remain central to the arrest of fugitives, particularly Ratko Mladic. In a speech before the European Affairs Committee of Dutch parliament in The Hague, Brammertz said that Mladic and the other fugitive, Goran Hadzic, are "within reach" of the Serbian authorities. Dutch parliament briefed about Serbia Brammertz said again that Serbia had the political will to arrest Mladic, but that there were obstacles at the operational level to achieve it, and that the fugitives had a "support network". Answering the questions from MPs whether the cooperation was sufficient for further work on Serbian EU accession, Brammertz said that he did not make political decisions “but reports which governments can use to make decisions.” He said he saw no problem in everyday cooperation with Belgrade regarding the access to witnesses, archives and documents, but in the fact that the fugitives were still on the loose. The apprehension of the fugitives remains a ‘top priority’ for the Hague prosecution, Brammertz said. Recalling that Mladic had been at large for 15 years after the genocide against Muslims in Srebrenica, the crime for which he was charged, the chief prosecutor said that the failure to arrest the former commander of the Army of the Republic of Srpska remained a"stain on international justice." He reiterated that he made recommendations to the Serbian authorities last summer how to improve methods and resources, after it was shown that the previously provided investigative information, which had sparked his "optimism", did not yield results. He stressed that the Belgrade authorities had accepted his recommendations, but that the implementation took time. Chief Prosecutor announced that he would visit Belgrade in November before a report on Serbia's cooperation with UN Security Council had been submitted on December 6 in New York. Following Brammertz’s Q&A session with Dutch MPs, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele is to address parliamentarians on the outlook for Serbia's accession to the EU. Brammertz has recently stated that he was not satisfied with the level of cooperation offered by Serbia in the search for the remaining two Hague fugitives - Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic. Holland has conditioned its approval of Serbia's further EU integrations by the arrest and extradition of the fugitives, "especially Mladic", who has been accused of genocide in Srebrenica. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said in Belgrade yesterday that he spoke to the Dutch prime minister in a bid to contribute to a consensus on these issues within the EU. Serge Brammertz before Dutch MPs (Tanjug)

Dutch parliament briefed about Serbia

Brammertz said again that Serbia had the political will to arrest Mladić, but that there were obstacles at the operational level to achieve it, and that the fugitives had a "support network".

Answering the questions from MPs whether the cooperation was sufficient for further work on Serbian EU accession, Brammertz said that he did not make political decisions “but reports which governments can use to make decisions.”

He said he saw no problem in everyday cooperation with Belgrade regarding the access to witnesses, archives and documents, but in the fact that the fugitives were still on the loose.

The apprehension of the fugitives remains a ‘top priority’ for the Hague prosecution, Brammertz said.

Recalling that Mladić had been at large for 15 years after the genocide against Muslims in Srebrenica, the crime for which he was charged, the chief prosecutor said that the failure to arrest the former commander of the Army of the Republic of Srpska remained a"stain on international justice."

He reiterated that he made recommendations to the Serbian authorities last summer how to improve methods and resources, after it was shown that the previously provided investigative information, which had sparked his "optimism", did not yield results.

He stressed that the Belgrade authorities had accepted his recommendations, but that the implementation took time.

Chief Prosecutor announced that he would visit Belgrade in November before a report on Serbia's cooperation with UN Security Council had been submitted on December 6 in New York.

Following Brammertz’s Q&A session with Dutch MPs, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele is to address parliamentarians on the outlook for Serbia's accession to the EU.

Brammertz has recently stated that he was not satisfied with the level of cooperation offered by Serbia in the search for the remaining two Hague fugitives - Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić.

Holland has conditioned its approval of Serbia's further EU integrations by the arrest and extradition of the fugitives, "especially Mladić", who has been accused of genocide in Srebrenica.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said in Belgrade yesterday that he spoke to the Dutch prime minister in a bid to contribute to a consensus on these issues within the EU.