Deputy PM on Hague: Serbia wants justice

NEW YORK Serbia's First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said in New York on Wednesday the Hague Tribunal had failed to serve justice or bring reconciliation. He stressed that the Tribunal singled out the Serbs as the only people responsible for the vicious crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia. Deputy PM on Hague: Serbia wants justice Vucic addressed a UN Security Council meeting dedicated to the work of the Hague Tribunal and called on the public around the world to learn about the consequences of the Hague Tribunal’s decisions and prevent the amnesty and glorification of crime. “International law has to apply to everyone equally and not more to some nations and less to others,” he stressed. “For hundreds of thousands of Serb refugees and thousands dead and injured, the Hague Tribunal convicted several guards of the Bosnian prison camp Celebici and two Kosovo Albanians, direct culprits of low rank,” Vucic stated. “Serbia is on the European path. Serbia wants to cooperate with all the nations of the region. Serbia accepts and fulfils all its international obligations. Serbia is involved in a dialogue with Pristina organized by the EU, and the only thing Serbia seeks is justice, nothing more and nothing less,” he added. The deputy PM underscored that Serbia believed that law and justice had not always been the key principles guiding the Hague Tribunal. Detailing the crimes for which, officially, the recently released Croat Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac were responsible, as well as former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Ramush Haradinaj, Vucic emphasized that the Hague Tribunal had singled out the Serbs as the only ones responsible for the vicious crimes committed in the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. “Serbia turned over to the Hague Tribunal all the required indictees, 45 of them, and granted in full almost all the requests for assistance by the Tribunal Prosecutor's Office and indictees' defense teams,” he stressed, adding that no request by the Hague Tribunal Prosecutor's Office for access to Serbia's archives had been refused. “This data shows clearly Serbia's commitment to finding out the truth about the crimes committed during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, including penalties for crimes, regardless of the culprits' and victims' nationality,” Vucic remarked. “The wars in the former Yugoslavia had a civilian, ethnic and religious dimension. No side was innocent. They all took part in the conflict, committed crimes and suffered casualties,” the Serbian official said. “The Serbian government will continue to work with the Hague Tribunal on the technical level,” he pointed out. “The initiative to allow those convicted by the Hague Tribunal to serve their sentences in the countries of the former Yugoslavia they are citizens of is extremely important,” said Vucic, adding that Serbia was interested in what would happen with the Hague Tribunal’s archive. “The basic motive behind the initiative is Serbia's determination to take responsibility for ensuring that its citizens convicted by the Hague Tribunal serve out their sentences,” said the Serbian official. Regarding the Tribunal’s archive, Vucic said Serbia was prepared to take an active role in all future talks and continue the cooperation with the Security Council's informal working group for tribunals concerning those issues Aleksandar Vucic (Beta, file) Tanjug

Deputy PM on Hague: Serbia wants justice

Vučić addressed a UN Security Council meeting dedicated to the work of the Hague Tribunal and called on the public around the world to learn about the consequences of the Hague Tribunal’s decisions and prevent the amnesty and glorification of crime.

“International law has to apply to everyone equally and not more to some nations and less to others,” he stressed.

“For hundreds of thousands of Serb refugees and thousands dead and injured, the Hague Tribunal convicted several guards of the Bosnian prison camp Čelebići and two Kosovo Albanians, direct culprits of low rank,” Vučić stated.

“Serbia is on the European path. Serbia wants to cooperate with all the nations of the region. Serbia accepts and fulfils all its international obligations. Serbia is involved in a dialogue with Priština organized by the EU, and the only thing Serbia seeks is justice, nothing more and nothing less,” he added.

The deputy PM underscored that Serbia believed that law and justice had not always been the key principles guiding the Hague Tribunal.

Detailing the crimes for which, officially, the recently released Croat Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač were responsible, as well as former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Ramush Haradinaj, Vučić emphasized that the Hague Tribunal had singled out the Serbs as the only ones responsible for the vicious crimes committed in the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia.

“Serbia turned over to the Hague Tribunal all the required indictees, 45 of them, and granted in full almost all the requests for assistance by the Tribunal Prosecutor's Office and indictees' defense teams,” he stressed, adding that no request by the Hague Tribunal Prosecutor's Office for access to Serbia's archives had been refused.

“This data shows clearly Serbia's commitment to finding out the truth about the crimes committed during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, including penalties for crimes, regardless of the culprits' and victims' nationality,” Vučić remarked.

“The wars in the former Yugoslavia had a civilian, ethnic and religious dimension. No side was innocent. They all took part in the conflict, committed crimes and suffered casualties,” the Serbian official said.

“The Serbian government will continue to work with the Hague Tribunal on the technical level,” he pointed out.

“The initiative to allow those convicted by the Hague Tribunal to serve their sentences in the countries of the former Yugoslavia they are citizens of is extremely important,” said Vučić, adding that Serbia was interested in what would happen with the Hague Tribunal’s archive.

“The basic motive behind the initiative is Serbia's determination to take responsibility for ensuring that its citizens convicted by the Hague Tribunal serve out their sentences,” said the Serbian official.

Regarding the Tribunal’s archive, Vučić said Serbia was prepared to take an active role in all future talks and continue the cooperation with the Security Council's informal working group for tribunals concerning those issues