Eurasia Press & News
The Hague Tribunal’s Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz is due to meet Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic on the second day of his trip to Belgrade.
Brammertz arrived in Serbia on Thursday and met Serbian President Boris Tadic, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and the President of the National Council for Hague Cooperation, Rasim Ljajic.
As announced from the President’s cabinet, during the meeting with Brammertz, Tadic said that the Serbian government and all of it’s bodies fully cooperate with The Hague Tribunal.
Tadic added that Serbia has so far extradited to The Hague 44 people indicted for war crimes and that it is completely aware of its legal obligation to extradite two more of them: Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic.
Ljajic suggested that Serbian residents sentenced at The Hague serve their prison sentences in Serbia. Ljajic told a press conference that he thinks this idea could be accepted by The Hague Tribunal.
“Unfortunately, there is one obstacle: the recommandation made in 1993 by UN General Secretary that all the convicted must not serve their sentences in the area of the former Yugoslavia,“ said Ljajic.
He said Brammertz pointed out some of the problems that could appear if the idea got the go-ahead but he did show sympathy for it.
Ljajic said that the only problem between Serbia and The Hague is the arrest and extradition of Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic.
“In all the other segments, concerning documentation, archives and witnesses there is full cooperation.“
According to Ljajic, Brammertz will not make a report about his visit but he will come to Belgrade again in May, and then he will submit a report for the UN Security Council.
Brammertz also met Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.
At a press conference after the meeting, Dacic said he talked to Brammertz about the issues that are less importnat than those in which the public is most interested.
“I asked him if Tribunal could take better care about the health and human rights of the Hague prisoners,“ said Dacic.
