"Hague Tribunal has no new conditions for Serbia"

Serbian President Boris Tadic stated Wednesday that the Hague Tribunal had no new preconditions for Serbia. The president met with Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz in Belgrade on Wednesday. "Hague Tribunal has no new conditions for Serbia" He added that it was in the interest of the state to disclose the network of helpers of Hague Tribunal indictees, which may involve political factors as well. “We have to disclose that for the sake of Serbia's security system,” the president told journalists after the opening of the third fair of local self-governments. Tadic said that one the main topics in the talks with the Hague Tribunal chief prosecutor was regional cooperation. “We cannot establish better modern societies in South-East Europe unless the countries in this region raise their cooperation with the Hague Tribunal to a higher level and unless that cooperation is based on determination of the countries' political structures to change their system of values,” the Serbian president underlined. He noted that he and Brammertz had agreed that not everybody cooperated with the same willingness and energy. “Some took part in the process because they had to, while Serbia, its government and me as the president did that for the sake of values we cherish and our need to reconcile with our neighbors,” the president explained. He voiced belief that the collaboration of other parts of the region could be more efficient and in that sense supported Brammertz in his intention to insist on regional cooperation. Brammertz is visiting Serbia as part of his regular activities as Hague Tribunal chief prosecutor, prior to submitting the regular report to the UN Security Council on Serbia's cooperation with the Tribunal. He started off his working visit to Belgrade on Tuesday by meeting with Head of Serbia's National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajic and War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic, with whom he discussed the pending cases and the situation in Serbian judiciary, as well as prosecution of war crimes suspects' accomplices. “We continue to fight together,” Brammertz was quoted as saying after the meeting with Vukcevic by Deputy Prosecutor Bruno Vekaric, who also attended the meeting at the Special Court in Belgrade. Brammertz and Ljajic agreed that investigating the support network of former Hague Tribunal fugitives was one of the technical aspects of Serbia's cooperation with the court and not a new condition for EU accession, as well as that the issue should be resolved by the competent bodies in Serbia. The officials also agreed that cooperation between Serbia and the Hague Tribunal, as regards the delivery of relevant documents, access to state authorities' archives and witnesses and other technical aspects, was taking place at a highly professional level and that there were no open issues whatsoever. Serge Brammertz

"Hague Tribunal has no new conditions for Serbia"

He added that it was in the interest of the state to disclose the network of helpers of Hague Tribunal indictees, which may involve political factors as well.

“We have to disclose that for the sake of Serbia's security system,” the president told journalists after the opening of the third fair of local self-governments.

Tadić said that one the main topics in the talks with the Hague Tribunal chief prosecutor was regional cooperation.

“We cannot establish better modern societies in South-East Europe unless the countries in this region raise their cooperation with the Hague Tribunal to a higher level and unless that cooperation is based on determination of the countries' political structures to change their system of values,” the Serbian president underlined.

He noted that he and Brammertz had agreed that not everybody cooperated with the same willingness and energy.

“Some took part in the process because they had to, while Serbia, its government and me as the president did that for the sake of values we cherish and our need to reconcile with our neighbors,” the president explained.

He voiced belief that the collaboration of other parts of the region could be more efficient and in that sense supported Brammertz in his intention to insist on regional cooperation.

Brammertz is visiting Serbia as part of his regular activities as Hague Tribunal chief prosecutor, prior to submitting the regular report to the UN Security Council on Serbia's cooperation with the Tribunal.

He started off his working visit to Belgrade on Tuesday by meeting with Head of Serbia's National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajić and War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević, with whom he discussed the pending cases and the situation in Serbian judiciary, as well as prosecution of war crimes suspects' accomplices.

“We continue to fight together,” Brammertz was quoted as saying after the meeting with Vukčević by Deputy Prosecutor Bruno Vekarić, who also attended the meeting at the Special Court in Belgrade.

Brammertz and Ljajić agreed that investigating the support network of former Hague Tribunal fugitives was one of the technical aspects of Serbia's cooperation with the court and not a new condition for EU accession, as well as that the issue should be resolved by the competent bodies in Serbia.

The officials also agreed that cooperation between Serbia and the Hague Tribunal, as regards the delivery of relevant documents, access to state authorities' archives and witnesses and other technical aspects, was taking place at a highly professional level and that there were no open issues whatsoever.