FM: Hague convicted individuals, not Serbia

The convictions of 5 former senior Serbian government officials are convictions of individuals, not of Serbia as a state, stresses Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. Speaking to B92, Jeremic said that Milan Milutonovic had been the only accused elected by Serbian citizens, and that it had been he alone who had been acquitted. FM: Hague convicted individuals, not Serbia He also expects the other five defendants to lodge appeals against their sentences. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say what I personally think of the Hague Tribunal. I can, as a citizen, say that I don’t know anyone who isn’t profoundly surprised by the fact that people like Ramush Haradinaj and Naser Oric have walked out of the Hague courtroom as victors, laughing, free, while for virtually all those from Serbia indicted by the court what’s happened has happened,” said the minister. However, he said that Serbia would continue to work with the Hague Tribunal until all the commitments had been honored, and when, he said, Serbia would no longer have any need or obligation to “have anything to do” with that institution or those people. Jeremic said that he did not believe the verdicts would have any bearing on the International Court of Justice’s decision on the issue of the legality of Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration, nor that Serbia had lost the protection of the international world order. “I don’t see why 10 years on, a very different, completely transformed Serbia, democratic and oriented towards European integration and the reconciliation process, should be sanctioned for anyone else’s sins that were not paid for with the fall of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime,” surmised the minister. He added that there was still open pressure on countries that had not recognized an independent Kosovo to do so, but that Serbia’s diplomatic offensive had thus far resisted this. Vuk Jeremic (FoNet, archive)

FM: Hague convicted individuals, not Serbia

He also expects the other five defendants to lodge appeals against their sentences.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say what I personally think of the Hague Tribunal. I can, as a citizen, say that I don’t know anyone who isn’t profoundly surprised by the fact that people like Ramush Haradinaj and Naser Orić have walked out of the Hague courtroom as victors, laughing, free, while for virtually all those from Serbia indicted by the court what’s happened has happened,” said the minister.

However, he said that Serbia would continue to work with the Hague Tribunal until all the commitments had been honored, and when, he said, Serbia would no longer have any need or obligation to “have anything to do” with that institution or those people.

Jeremić said that he did not believe the verdicts would have any bearing on the International Court of Justice’s decision on the issue of the legality of Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration, nor that Serbia had lost the protection of the international world order.

“I don’t see why 10 years on, a very different, completely transformed Serbia, democratic and oriented towards European integration and the reconciliation process, should be sanctioned for anyone else’s sins that were not paid for with the fall of Slobodan Milošević’s regime,” surmised the minister.

He added that there was still open pressure on countries that had not recognized an independent Kosovo to do so, but that Serbia’s diplomatic offensive had thus far resisted this.