FM sends Kosovo probe proposal to UN

FM Vuk Jeremic has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with Serbia's proposal for an investigation into the allegations made in the Marty report. Jeremic sent the letter to Ban on Tuesday afternoon, after he discussed the issue with visiting Russian FM Sergei Lavrov. FM sends Kosovo probe proposal to UN The Serbian and Russian foreign ministers said Tuesday that they advocate an independent investigation into the allegations in Marty's report under a UN mandate, pointing out there must be no double standards. According to Jeremic, a credible international investigation under the mandate of the UN is necessary because of the territorial jurisdiction of the bodies which will carry out the investigation, but also because all war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia have been investigated under a UN Security Council (UNSC) mandate. "All war crimes in the former Yugoslavia have been investigated under the mandate of the UN Security Council and those who investigated them had to report to the council. The same treatment must be applied now as well. If the allegations are proven true, I see no reason why Kosovo victims should be treated as inferior," Jeremic said on Wednesday. The minister stated earlier that "if that was not the case now, it would be hard to fight the impression of a double standard." Noting that the mandate for the investigation - which will be binding for all - can come only from the UNSC, which Serbia is not part of, Jeremic said that he believes Belgrade can completely rely on Moscow. Lavrov said that Russia will support Serbia's initiative in the UNSC. An unbiased investigation must be carried out into the allegations in Dick Marty's report and we fully support Serbia in this issue, Lavrov said. He added that even smaller crimes have been investigated by international bodies and stressed there must not be a double standard in this regard. Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty's report, published in late December, names leaders of the ethnic Albanian KLA as perpetrators of atrocities that included kidnappings of Serb and other civilians and harvesting of their vital organs for sale in the black market. A subsequent Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) resolution was based on the report, and called for an investigation to be opened into the allegations. Vuk Jeremic (Tanjug)

FM sends Kosovo probe proposal to UN

The Serbian and Russian foreign ministers said Tuesday that they advocate an independent investigation into the allegations in Marty's report under a UN mandate, pointing out there must be no double standards.

According to Jeremić, a credible international investigation under the mandate of the UN is necessary because of the territorial jurisdiction of the bodies which will carry out the investigation, but also because all war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia have been investigated under a UN Security Council (UNSC) mandate.

"All war crimes in the former Yugoslavia have been investigated under the mandate of the UN Security Council and those who investigated them had to report to the council. The same treatment must be applied now as well. If the allegations are proven true, I see no reason why Kosovo victims should be treated as inferior," Jeremić said on Wednesday.

The minister stated earlier that "if that was not the case now, it would be hard to fight the impression of a double standard."

Noting that the mandate for the investigation - which will be binding for all - can come only from the UNSC, which Serbia is not part of, Jeremić said that he believes Belgrade can completely rely on Moscow.

Lavrov said that Russia will support Serbia's initiative in the UNSC.

An unbiased investigation must be carried out into the allegations in Dick Marty's report and we fully support Serbia in this issue, Lavrov said.

He added that even smaller crimes have been investigated by international bodies and stressed there must not be a double standard in this regard.

Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty's report, published in late December, names leaders of the ethnic Albanian KLA as perpetrators of atrocities that included kidnappings of Serb and other civilians and harvesting of their vital organs for sale in the black market.

A subsequent Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) resolution was based on the report, and called for an investigation to be opened into the allegations.