Serbia: Brammertz Report Biased

27 May 2008 Belgrade_ Serbia blasted the new ICTY Chief Prosecutor on Tuesday, warning of "unnecessary bias" in his first report to the Security Council on Belgrade's cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

Serge Brammertz reported to the Council that four remaining war-crimes fugitives, including the Bosnian Serb war-time political and military leaders, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, remain "within the reach" of the Belgrade authorities.

"We believe that Brammertz's report has not been balanced in an adequate manner and in a way that reflects our previous cooperation with the Tribunal," Chairman of the National Council for Cooperation with the ICTY Rasim Ljajic said.

In his report, Brammertz criticized Belgrade for its "unsatisfactory" engagement in investigations and searches for the four remaining fugitives, as well as for its failure to open secret police, or BIA, and military archives to investigators.

However, Ljajic responded that just 18 of the Hague's 1,671 requests for documents have still to be approved, adding that Serbia cannot allow unlimited access to its archives.

"Of 46 suspects, 42 have been transferred to The Hague. Four more remain and we are aware of our responsibilities and interest that they end up in The Hague," Ljajic said.

The UN Security Council will review Brammertz's report in June. An advance copy of his first report since taking over as Chief Prosecutor has already been distributed to ambassadors of the 15-member body.