Army chief rejects NGO's accusations

Army chief rejects NGO's accusations

"I have nothing to do with the accusations by the FHP, which has tarnished my reputation and the dignity of the institution that I am in charge of," Dikovic said in a talk show aired on Belgrade TV Pink on Monday evening.

He said that a smear campaign has been conducted against him for several years to date because of his participation in the armed conflicts in the capacity of a brigade commander in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999, and also a commander of the 16th Border Battalion in Bajina Basta until 1994.

Dikovic underscored that he never organized or took part in war crimes either as a soldier or as a commander, nor he ever incited others to commit war crimes in any way.

On the contrary, whenever I could, I did my best to prevent any crime, said the general.

"All crimes that I learned about were prosecuted," Dikovic said, adding that 15 members of his brigade were arrested in 1999 and handed over to the war crimes prosecutors.

Dikovic said that the FHP presented the first false accusations against him at the beginning of 2012, claiming that he participated in the 1995 crimes against Muslims, who came to Serbia after the developments in Srebrenica, while at the time he was not in (Serbian border town) Bajina Basta at all.

"I handed over the duty at the end of August 1994 and went to Belgrade for an additional training, so I could not be in Bajina Basta in 1995," said Dikovic.

It was only in November 1998 that I assumed the duty as the commander of the 37th Motorized Brigade, which during that year was not in Kosovo and Metohija at all, Dikovic said.

All this has been documented and handed over to the court, the general noted.

Dikovic said that he also testified before the Hague Tribunal, which did not find “a single detail” to hold him accountable for war crimes.

Asked why the accusations against him appear at this point, Dikovic said that "this is on purpose".

Dikovic underlined that the accusations against him cannot be isolated from attacks on the state, because such accusations cast a dark shadow on the country, its government and army.

He said that so far he has not responded to the accusations because he believes that a trial and an investigation cannot be conducted in the media, but rather in the legal institutions and therefore he filed a private suit against the FHP.

Dikovic said that the suit he filed presents clear evidence that the allegations made by the Fund are not true, adding that this might be the reason why the FHP was prompted to make new accusations against him.

The trial on the charges is underway, the hearing is scheduled for February 18, and the FHP offered my lawyer a deal to drop the suit, and we did not agree to that, Dikovic said.

"Things have gone out of control and these are nasty moves now. I have no more right to remain silent for those who can no longer speak for themselves and the ones who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism in 1999 (in Kosovo). Therefore, I must say the truth here, "said Dikovic.

FHP Director Sandra Orlovic said at a press conference on January 30 that the Fund possesses documents that show that Dikovic is responsible of war crimes in Kosovo.

Presenting the file entitled "Rudnica" on war crimes against Kosovo Albanians, Orlovic said that the file includes the evidence that "indicates the responsibility and role of members of the 37th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Armed Forces, whose commander at the time was Dikovic".