"Kovačević case used to discredit MFA"

Claims that someone from Belgrade ordered the issuance of travel documents to Miladin Kovacevic are completely false, claims Borislav Stefanovic. Stefanovic, the cabinet chief for Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, told B92 that many untruths relating to the Kovacevic case are aimed at discrediting the ministry. "Kovacevic case used to discredit MFA" Internal investigations show that no one from the MFA ordered former Serbian Vice-Consul in New York Igor Milosevic to issue a new passport to Kovacevic, said Stefanovic. Kovacevic, accused stateside of seriously injuring a fellow student in a barroom fight, used the documents to jump bail and return to Serbia. Former Consul-General to New York Slobodan Nenadovic says that issuing the passport was not illegal because Kovacevic was released from custody, but because the American judge expressly ordered that he not be given a new passport. Nenadovic says that it was his mistake to trust Milosevic, who knew travel documents were not to be issued to Kovacevic, but claims that he, as his superior, was not informed of that. Milosevic’s defense now is that he did not understand the American judge, though after the affair escalated he claimed several times that the American judge forbade the issuance of a new passport to Kovacevic, says Nenadovic. “When I saw that I had a problem at the consulate, I asked him if the American judge had said what she had said. He said, ‘yes.’ I’m the one who was in that position, you can believe me or not,” he said. “Just a few days later, when we wrote a report on our mission to the United Nations, the same quested was asked by Ambassador Pavle Jevremovic. He again answered, ‘yes,’” said Nenadovic. Stefanovic asked for a log of telephone calls at the consulate in order to eliminate doubt that someone from Belgrade had influenced the consulate in New York to issue the passport to Kovacevic. No one from the Foreign Ministry called Milosevic to order that, claims Stefanovic. “Even if it wasn’t me at stake, but everyone else at the Foreign Ministry, who truly worked conscientiously and professionally in this situation, which is shown by our internal investigation. The phone records were also checked, which will be put before the investigative court,” he said. Meanwhile, Olivera Zekic, editor-in-chief of daily Borba – which leaked confidential government information saying that Serbia was about to settle the case with some USD 1mn – continues with claims that “command responsibility” in the case of Kovacevic lies in the Foreign Ministry and irresponsible state clerks. She dismissed media speculation that Borba is connected to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and that information on the planned settlement came from the American embassy via that opposition party. “We never received any instructions about what to do from any politician, especially not Cedomir Jovanovic. We’re not in the system, that's why they don't like us,” claims Zekic. She says her daily is the victim: “It really isn’t clear to me who dared to spin that story, to let out the story that an American diplomat betrayed a state secret." Dusan Lazic, a member of the Forum for International Relations, who along with Stefanovic and Zekic took part in a B92 TV talk show, did not rule out the possibility that the affair was directed against the government and that its aim was to cause distrust amongst coalition members. Miladin Kovacevic (Beta, archive)

"Kovačević case used to discredit MFA"

Internal investigations show that no one from the MFA ordered former Serbian Vice-Consul in New York Igor Milošević to issue a new passport to Kovačević, said Stefanović.

Kovačević, accused stateside of seriously injuring a fellow student in a barroom fight, used the documents to jump bail and return to Serbia.

Former Consul-General to New York Slobodan Nenadović says that issuing the passport was not illegal because Kovačević was released from custody, but because the American judge expressly ordered that he not be given a new passport.

Nenadović says that it was his mistake to trust Milošević, who knew travel documents were not to be issued to Kovačević, but claims that he, as his superior, was not informed of that.

Milošević’s defense now is that he did not understand the American judge, though after the affair escalated he claimed several times that the American judge forbade the issuance of a new passport to Kovačević, says Nenadović.

“When I saw that I had a problem at the consulate, I asked him if the American judge had said what she had said. He said, ‘yes.’ I’m the one who was in that position, you can believe me or not,” he said.

“Just a few days later, when we wrote a report on our mission to the United Nations, the same quested was asked by Ambassador Pavle Jevremović. He again answered, ‘yes,’” said Nenadović.

Stefanović asked for a log of telephone calls at the consulate in order to eliminate doubt that someone from Belgrade had influenced the consulate in New York to issue the passport to Kovačević.

No one from the Foreign Ministry called Milošević to order that, claims Stefanović.

“Even if it wasn’t me at stake, but everyone else at the Foreign Ministry, who truly worked conscientiously and professionally in this situation, which is shown by our internal investigation. The phone records were also checked, which will be put before the investigative court,” he said.

Meanwhile, Olivera Zekić, editor-in-chief of daily Borba – which leaked confidential government information saying that Serbia was about to settle the case with some USD 1mn – continues with claims that “command responsibility” in the case of Kovačević lies in the Foreign Ministry and irresponsible state clerks.

She dismissed media speculation that Borba is connected to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and that information on the planned settlement came from the American embassy via that opposition party.

“We never received any instructions about what to do from any politician, especially not Čedomir Jovanović. We’re not in the system, that's why they don't like us,” claims Zekić.

She says her daily is the victim: “It really isn’t clear to me who dared to spin that story, to let out the story that an American diplomat betrayed a state secret."

Dušan Lazić, a member of the Forum for International Relations, who along with Stefanović and Zekić took part in a B92 TV talk show, did not rule out the possibility that the affair was directed against the government and that its aim was to cause distrust amongst coalition members.