Serbian FM: No link between ICJ decision, Mladić

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić denied reports linking the ICJ ruling in the Kosovo case with the arrest of Ratko Mladić.

The delay in announcing the advisory opinion on the legality of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the arrest of the wartime leader of Bosnia’s Serbs are not related, said the minister.

“These two things are absolutely not related to one another. The ICJ is only to give its opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s independence and so far there has been no information on when they will do that,” Jeremić stated on Sunday evening.

He also said that there are announcements of ICJ delaying the decision, and that this is not good news.

“We want for it to happen as soon as possible. The more time the court has for giving its opinion, the more pressure can be exerted on this body. Let us hope that the court will rule on this as soon as possible,” Jeremić said.

The minister added that he does not expect the ICJ’s opinion to be in favor of the Kosovo Albanian authorities, assessing that, should this happen, “no international border will ever be secure”.

“I hope that neither we, the region, nor anybody in the world will face this kind of situation,” Jeremić underscored.

The ICJ was expected to announce its decision in the case, forwarded to it by the UN General Assembly at Serbia’s request, in May or June, however, according to some media reports, this will be postponed it until the end of this year, most likely until November.

Allegedly, this delay is related to the international community’s expectation that Serbia will by then be able to extradite Mladić to the Hague Tribinal.