Serbia "will protect" former KLA turned witness

BELGRADE Serbia will protect a witness who spoke about the illegal human organ trafficking in Kosovo, says Aleksandar Vulin, head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. "We must be careful with this. We saw in the process against Ramush Haradinaj and other KLA members that witnesses ended up murdered or experiencing sudden memory loss." Serbia "will protect" former KLA turned witness "That sort of thing must not happen in this country. No witness has ever been endangered, which speaks about our country, but also about others that allow for important witnesses to disappear," Vulin said on Tuesday in Belgrade. He noted that "none of the witnesses in the Haradinaj case had survived". Haradinaj was one of the former leaders of the ethnic Albanian KLA, a prime minister of Kosovo after the war, and a defendant in a Hague Tribunal war crimes case. "Some (witnesses) were killed in Montenegro, some in the EU space, some elsewhere, others disappeared in the area of Kosovo," the government's Kosovo office chief added. "I will also remind you that material evidence was destroyed. When it comes to the Yellow House (case), when it comes to the Gorazdevac investigation, all documents were handed over to the international community. That evidence for the most part vanished. (Former Hague Chief Prosecutor) Carla Del Ponte spoke about that. There's the example of fire breaking out in a location suspected to contain a mass grave," he continued, in reference to the Zilivode site in Kosovo. Vulin also expects that the statements of the protected witness - a former KLA member directly involved in the organ removal and trafficking - will help shed the light on the fate of the missing persons, and "prompt international prosecution to carry out and complete an investigation". According to him, "it was always claimed that Serbia 'had no case' when it comes to the Kosovo organ trafficking", and that this was a chance to prove that "what we were saying all these years was true". Vulin added that he now "expected only that the international community would continue what it had started", since CoE Rapporteur Dick Marty had already dealt with the issue in his report. "This case is proof that Kosovo's independence is based not on violations of human rights, but on the extermination of an entire community, of Serbs," said Vulin, and continued: "I regret that this witness had not shown up much sooner, perhaps the (UN) Security Council session would have gone differently... had he shown up sooner, perhaps the international community would have exercised more caution toward the presence of (former KLA leader and Kosovo PM) Hashim Thaci at the session. Imagine if the Serbian premier or anyone else was accused of such crimes - would there be a single person who would shake their hand? Is there a person in the EU, the U.S., or Russia, who would allow them to sit at the same table and say, 'well what of it, we'll see'." Commenting on the International Steering Group's decision to end its activities and thus "end Kosovo's supervised independence", Vulin said that nothing had in fact changed, "except in people's heads - as Pristina now believes that they don't have to negotiate with Belgrade, since they're independent": "We never heard what Pristina thinks about the negotiations, while we have said it several times that talks should continue and be raised to a higher level... I'm afraid the Pristina side is the one that is not interested in negotiating." One reason for this, according to the Kosovo office chief, is that the Kosovo Albanian authorities "have nothing to gain, but only to lose, in those talks". At the same time, he questioned whether negotiations "with a man accused of heinous crimes" would progress well. Vulin also expressed his fear that "hotheads" might once again cause violence in Kosovo. According to him, Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as independent - whether supervised or unsupervised - while the territory cannot hope to join the UN for as long as Serbia is a member of the world organization. Vulin is seen in a SPC church during his recent visit to Kosovo (Tanjug) B92 Beta

Serbia "will protect" former KLA turned witness

"That sort of thing must not happen in this country. No witness has ever been endangered, which speaks about our country, but also about others that allow for important witnesses to disappear," Vulin said on Tuesday in Belgrade.

He noted that "none of the witnesses in the Haradinaj case had survived".

Haradinaj was one of the former leaders of the ethnic Albanian KLA, a prime minister of Kosovo after the war, and a defendant in a Hague Tribunal war crimes case.

"Some (witnesses) were killed in Montenegro, some in the EU space, some elsewhere, others disappeared in the area of Kosovo," the government's Kosovo office chief added.

"I will also remind you that material evidence was destroyed. When it comes to the Yellow House (case), when it comes to the Goraždevac investigation, all documents were handed over to the international community. That evidence for the most part vanished. (Former Hague Chief Prosecutor) Carla Del Ponte spoke about that. There's the example of fire breaking out in a location suspected to contain a mass grave," he continued, in reference to the Žilivode site in Kosovo.

Vulin also expects that the statements of the protected witness - a former KLA member directly involved in the organ removal and trafficking - will help shed the light on the fate of the missing persons, and "prompt international prosecution to carry out and complete an investigation".

According to him, "it was always claimed that Serbia 'had no case' when it comes to the Kosovo organ trafficking", and that this was a chance to prove that "what we were saying all these years was true".

Vulin added that he now "expected only that the international community would continue what it had started", since CoE Rapporteur Dick Marty had already dealt with the issue in his report.

"This case is proof that Kosovo's independence is based not on violations of human rights, but on the extermination of an entire community, of Serbs," said Vulin, and continued:

"I regret that this witness had not shown up much sooner, perhaps the (UN) Security Council session would have gone differently... had he shown up sooner, perhaps the international community would have exercised more caution toward the presence of (former KLA leader and Kosovo PM) Hashim Thaci at the session. Imagine if the Serbian premier or anyone else was accused of such crimes - would there be a single person who would shake their hand? Is there a person in the EU, the U.S., or Russia, who would allow them to sit at the same table and say, 'well what of it, we'll see'."

Commenting on the International Steering Group's decision to end its activities and thus "end Kosovo's supervised independence", Vulin said that nothing had in fact changed, "except in people's heads - as Priština now believes that they don't have to negotiate with Belgrade, since they're independent":

"We never heard what Priština thinks about the negotiations, while we have said it several times that talks should continue and be raised to a higher level... I'm afraid the Priština side is the one that is not interested in negotiating."

One reason for this, according to the Kosovo office chief, is that the Kosovo Albanian authorities "have nothing to gain, but only to lose, in those talks".

At the same time, he questioned whether negotiations "with a man accused of heinous crimes" would progress well.

Vulin also expressed his fear that "hotheads" might once again cause violence in Kosovo.

According to him, Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as independent - whether supervised or unsupervised - while the territory cannot hope to join the UN for as long as Serbia is a member of the world organization.