Nikolić travels to New York, to speak at UN

BELGRADE, NEW YORK President Tomislav Nikolic departed for New York on Tuesday where he will address a UNGA debate on the role of international criminal justice in reconciliation. During his stay in New York, Nikolic will meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and with the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Chairman Nebojsa Radmanovic. Nikolic travels to New York, to speak at UN The thematic debate, entitled "Role of international criminal justice in reconciliation", which will be held at the UN headquarters on the East River on Wednesday, was convened by UN General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic and more than 40 UN member states have announced their participation so far. Oliver Antic, adviser to the Serbian president, said Tuesday that Nikolic will present 42 pages of analysis, which will stay in the United Nations archives. The document is meant to prove that the process leading up to the establishment of and the very act of establishing the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY, Hague Tribunal) were not in accordance with law. UN debate The UN will stage a debate on the work of international criminal tribunals during which the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) would be discussed by representatives of 50 countries, except the U.S. representatives and ICTY officials. According to reports filed by Tanjug's correspondent, the meeting will be opened in New York at 10 a.m. according to local time by President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Vuk Jeremic, after which the participants at the meeting would be addressed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. After the two UN leaders make their speeches, the debate will begin and the first to address the UNGA session will be Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic pointed to the huge disproportion in the number of Serbs who have been convicted by the ICTY compared to other indictees. According to the verdicts delivered so far, Serbs have been sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison, whereas all indicted Croats, Muslims and Albanians were sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison. According to the information gathered so far, countries which confirmed their participation include Russia, China, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Croatia and India. After the ICTY acquitted Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, the debate was called by UNGA President Vuk Jeremic who says that certain centres of power exerted strong pressures over the past month to prevent the debate. Jeremic also qualified as scandalous the fact that ICTY President Theodor Meron failed to respond to the invitation as the tribunal operated under the UN auspices. Responding to criticism on Twitter that the debate would not have media coverage and thus would not have the relevance it would have otherwise, Jeremic said that he cannot agree with this and that the most important matter in terms of history is for the UN official documents to record something other than the official ICTY minutes. The meeting will be attended by representatives of Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Venezuela, Albania, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Egypt and South Africa, as well as a representative of the EU, Turkey, Brazil, Pakistan, Columbia, Palestine and other countries. In the afternoon, two panels will be staged that will gather prominent legal experts and experts on the situation in the Balkans in the 90s. According to the information of Tanjug's U.S. correspondent, the first speaker at the panel discussion entitled 'Justice' will be former UNPROFOR commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina, retired general Lewis Wharton MacKenzie from Canada. In addition to MacKenzie, the other participants in the panel will be law professor from the Pittsburgh University Charles Jalloh, professor John Ciorciari from the Michigan University and President of the Documentation and Information Centre Veritas from Serbia Savo Strbac. The second panel entitled "Reconciliation" will be addressed by professor of law at the Middlesex University in London William Schabas, Cedomir Antic of the Institute for Balkan Studies from Belgrade and professor Janine Clark from the Sheffield University and Director of the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation from Paris John Laughland. Representatives of the Mothers of Srebrenica Association also left for New York and announced that they would stage a protest because they were denied the right to address the debate. The Association's President Munira Subasic said that Bosniak and Croat associations imposed their presence at the debate but Jeremic wanted to avoid them and at the same time invited Serbs and Serb associations. Tanjug learned from the UNGA president's cabinet that a representative of the Mothers of Srebrenica Association would be able to attend the debate which constitutes an exception to the general rule since the association is not accredited with the UN as an NGO. "We want to make an exception and offer to the association the possibility to attend the panel as an observer and a guest of the UNGA president despite the fact it lacks adequate credentials," Jeremic said in response to the request of Bosnia-Herzegovina associations to attend the debate. Tanjug

Nikolić travels to New York, to speak at UN

The thematic debate, entitled "Role of international criminal justice in reconciliation", which will be held at the UN headquarters on the East River on Wednesday, was convened by UN General Assembly President Vuk Jeremić and more than 40 UN member states have announced their participation so far.

Oliver Antić, adviser to the Serbian president, said Tuesday that Nikolić will present 42 pages of analysis, which will stay in the United Nations archives.

The document is meant to prove that the process leading up to the establishment of and the very act of establishing the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY, Hague Tribunal) were not in accordance with law.

UN debate

The UN will stage a debate on the work of international criminal tribunals during which the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) would be discussed by representatives of 50 countries, except the U.S. representatives and ICTY officials.

According to reports filed by Tanjug's correspondent, the meeting will be opened in New York at 10 a.m. according to local time by President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Vuk Jeremić, after which the participants at the meeting would be addressed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

After the two UN leaders make their speeches, the debate will begin and the first to address the UNGA session will be Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić pointed to the huge disproportion in the number of Serbs who have been convicted by the ICTY compared to other indictees.

According to the verdicts delivered so far, Serbs have been sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison, whereas all indicted Croats, Muslims and Albanians were sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison.

According to the information gathered so far, countries which confirmed their participation include Russia, China, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Croatia and India.

After the ICTY acquitted Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač, the debate was called by UNGA President Vuk Jeremić who says that certain centres of power exerted strong pressures over the past month to prevent the debate.

Jeremić also qualified as scandalous the fact that ICTY President Theodor Meron failed to respond to the invitation as the tribunal operated under the UN auspices.

Responding to criticism on Twitter that the debate would not have media coverage and thus would not have the relevance it would have otherwise, Jeremić said that he cannot agree with this and that the most important matter in terms of history is for the UN official documents to record something other than the official ICTY minutes.

The meeting will be attended by representatives of Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Venezuela, Albania, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Egypt and South Africa, as well as a representative of the EU, Turkey, Brazil, Pakistan, Columbia, Palestine and other countries.

In the afternoon, two panels will be staged that will gather prominent legal experts and experts on the situation in the Balkans in the 90s.

According to the information of Tanjug's U.S. correspondent, the first speaker at the panel discussion entitled 'Justice' will be former UNPROFOR commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina, retired general Lewis Wharton MacKenzie from Canada.

In addition to MacKenzie, the other participants in the panel will be law professor from the Pittsburgh University Charles Jalloh, professor John Ciorciari from the Michigan University and President of the Documentation and Information Centre Veritas from Serbia Savo Strbac.

The second panel entitled "Reconciliation" will be addressed by professor of law at the Middlesex University in London William Schabas, Čedomir Antić of the Institute for Balkan Studies from Belgrade and professor Janine Clark from the Sheffield University and Director of the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation from Paris John Laughland.

Representatives of the Mothers of Srebrenica Association also left for New York and announced that they would stage a protest because they were denied the right to address the debate.

The Association's President Munira Subašić said that Bosniak and Croat associations imposed their presence at the debate but Jeremić wanted to avoid them and at the same time invited Serbs and Serb associations.

Tanjug learned from the UNGA president's cabinet that a representative of the Mothers of Srebrenica Association would be able to attend the debate which constitutes an exception to the general rule since the association is not accredited with the UN as an NGO.

"We want to make an exception and offer to the association the possibility to attend the panel as an observer and a guest of the UNGA president despite the fact it lacks adequate credentials," Jeremić said in response to the request of Bosnia-Herzegovina associations to attend the debate.