Kosovo organ probe "unstoppable process", says prosecutor

Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic has stated that Dick Marty's report has launched "an unstoppable process". It will lead to tracking down the persons responsible for human organ trafficking in Kosovo, he asserted. Kosovo organ probe "unstoppable process", says prosecutor "With his courage and professional approach, Marty has launched an unstoppable process, which will sooner or later track down those responsible for the horrors that unified organized crime and war crimes, that is the trade in human organs," Vukcevic stated for the Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti. A day after the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly included Serbia's resolution on Combating Illicit Trade in Human Organs into the Belgrade Declaration, Vukcevic said that the victory of the Serbian diplomacy lies in the fact that UNMIK was accepted as EULEX's partner in the investigation. "Since the very beginning and the first information on human organ trafficking, it was clear that large world powers have a different political approach to this issue. I hope that political assessments will not play a crucial role in the investigation, regardless of who carries it out under the auspices of the international community," he said. By submitting a joint amendment, head of the U.S. delegation at the OSCE PA Benjamin Cardin and German representative Uta Zapf made it impossible for the final version of the declaration to include Serbia's proposal for the organ trafficking investigation to be carried out under the UN mandate. On Saturday, after the address of Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic before the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Zapf said that after learning more about the case, she regretted submitting the amendment. Vukcevic said that he considers such a statement of the German parliamentarian as "a moral act of a representative who put justice over politics." "I am sure that the democratic capacity of the U.S. will not allow for these crimes to remain uninvestigated, and we are constantly given clear assurance about that," Vukcevic said, when asked why the U.S. do not accept Belgrade's request for the investigation to be led by the UN. He also said that he has unofficial information that an American will head the international team for the investigation of the crimes. "This shows how important it is for the U.S. to fully examine this case, and we are ready to help them," Vukcevic pointed out. He said that former Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte and himself have not yet been invited to join the team which will conduct the investigation, and warned that there will be no real investigation without the participation of the Serbian representatives, EULEX, UNMIK and the Albanian prosecution. It was Carla Del Ponte who first publicly mentioned the atrocities in 2008, which were later investigated by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution. The Council of Europe became involved and its special rapporteur Dick Marty in late 2010 published his report. The report named members of the ethnic Albanian KLA as perpetrators of illegal imprisonment and organ harvesting, and Serb and other kidnapped civilians as their victims. Vladimir Vukcevic (file)

Kosovo organ probe "unstoppable process", says prosecutor

"With his courage and professional approach, Marty has launched an unstoppable process, which will sooner or later track down those responsible for the horrors that unified organized crime and war crimes, that is the trade in human organs," Vukčević stated for the Belgrade-based daily Večernje Novosti.

A day after the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly included Serbia's resolution on Combating Illicit Trade in Human Organs into the Belgrade Declaration, Vukčević said that the victory of the Serbian diplomacy lies in the fact that UNMIK was accepted as EULEX's partner in the investigation.

"Since the very beginning and the first information on human organ trafficking, it was clear that large world powers have a different political approach to this issue. I hope that political assessments will not play a crucial role in the investigation, regardless of who carries it out under the auspices of the international community," he said.

By submitting a joint amendment, head of the U.S. delegation at the OSCE PA Benjamin Cardin and German representative Uta Zapf made it impossible for the final version of the declaration to include Serbia's proposal for the organ trafficking investigation to be carried out under the UN mandate.

On Saturday, after the address of Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić before the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Zapf said that after learning more about the case, she regretted submitting the amendment.

Vukčević said that he considers such a statement of the German parliamentarian as "a moral act of a representative who put justice over politics."

"I am sure that the democratic capacity of the U.S. will not allow for these crimes to remain uninvestigated, and we are constantly given clear assurance about that," Vukčević said, when asked why the U.S. do not accept Belgrade's request for the investigation to be led by the UN.

He also said that he has unofficial information that an American will head the international team for the investigation of the crimes.

"This shows how important it is for the U.S. to fully examine this case, and we are ready to help them," Vukčević pointed out.

He said that former Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte and himself have not yet been invited to join the team which will conduct the investigation, and warned that there will be no real investigation without the participation of the Serbian representatives, EULEX, UNMIK and the Albanian prosecution.

It was Carla Del Ponte who first publicly mentioned the atrocities in 2008, which were later investigated by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution. The Council of Europe became involved and its special rapporteur Dick Marty in late 2010 published his report.

The report named members of the ethnic Albanian KLA as perpetrators of illegal imprisonment and organ harvesting, and Serb and other kidnapped civilians as their victims.