Hague Tribunal rejects Nikolić’s proposal

BELGRADE The Hague Tribunal has rejected Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic’s request to allow Serbian citizens to serve their sentences in Serbia. According to the proposal, top Serbian officials would give up on the UN General Assembly debate on the Hague Tribunal in return. Hague Tribunal rejects Nikolic’s proposal Top Serbian officials were willing to give up on the debate if the Serbian convicts were allowed to serve their sentences in Serbian prisons. However, the Hague Tribunal has rejected the proposal and the UNGA debate will be held on April 10, daily Vecernje novosti writes. Nikolic will be the first to speak at the UNGA debate, the daily has learned. He said that he had tried o find a different solution but that he was not successful and that he would therefore travel to New York and take part in the debate on the work of the Hague Tribunal. The president’s advisor Oliver Antic says that it is a big problem that Serbian citizens convicted by the Hague Tribunal are sent to prisons across Europe where they are often subjected to torture and harassment and they are far away from their families and friends. “The president’s idea was to serve the sentences in Serbia, under the UN supervision, but it faced obstacles in the Tribunal. If the solution had been accepted, we would have given up on the participation in the UNGA debate or such a high-ranking official such as the president would not have gone to the debate,” he explained. Antic noted that many countries have so far announced their participation in the debate, primarily African nations, and that key Security Council members Russia, China, France, Great Britain and the U.S. were expected to participate. UNGA President Vuk Jeremic has stated that he would not give up on the April 10 debate and that nothing would make him cancel it. Tomislav Nikolic (Beta, file) Vecernje novosti

Hague Tribunal rejects Nikolić’s proposal

Top Serbian officials were willing to give up on the debate if the Serbian convicts were allowed to serve their sentences in Serbian prisons.

However, the Hague Tribunal has rejected the proposal and the UNGA debate will be held on April 10, daily Večernje novosti writes.

Nikolić will be the first to speak at the UNGA debate, the daily has learned.

He said that he had tried o find a different solution but that he was not successful and that he would therefore travel to New York and take part in the debate on the work of the Hague Tribunal.

The president’s advisor Oliver Antić says that it is a big problem that Serbian citizens convicted by the Hague Tribunal are sent to prisons across Europe where they are often subjected to torture and harassment and they are far away from their families and friends.

“The president’s idea was to serve the sentences in Serbia, under the UN supervision, but it faced obstacles in the Tribunal. If the solution had been accepted, we would have given up on the participation in the UNGA debate or such a high-ranking official such as the president would not have gone to the debate,” he explained.

Antić noted that many countries have so far announced their participation in the debate, primarily African nations, and that key Security Council members Russia, China, France, Great Britain and the U.S. were expected to participate.

UNGA President Vuk Jeremić has stated that he would not give up on the April 10 debate and that nothing would make him cancel it.