Whether a new war crimes court will be established in The Hague
Belgrade – I support the thesis that in Kosovo should be established a department for war crimes and post-conflict killings and abductions, with international and national prosecutors and judges. The chief prosecutor should be a local prosecutor, but his deputy must be a foreigner with extensive experience and strong team of investigators, that he had to choose. Establishing the rule of law in Kosovo cannot be built with the trials outside of Kosovo, REKOM Coordinator Natasa Kandic said to Danas. Kandic commented the news that the KLA members, accused of crimes against Serbs, Roma and “disloyal” Albanians after the withdrawal of Serbian military and police from Kosovo in 1999, most likely will be tried before a special court in the Netherlands, not in Pristina, as proposed by the Kosovo government. Otherwise, the indictment is expected in June, when Clint Williamson and the Special Investigation Team need to complete a four-year investigation into Dick Marty’s allegations about KLA crimes.
Kandić explains that the EU’s approach to this issue must be different than in the past, focused on changing the minds of the people of Kosovo, as well as institutions, who believe that the KLA could not commit crimes because they fought for independence.
– UNMIK has missed the chance to open the process of dealing with the past, and EULEX showed great uncertainty to process sensitive crimes, including the murders of Serbs and Roma, as well as alleged collaborators – says Kandić.
She concludes that the facts, to be established by Clint Williamson, which will concern not only the responsibility of the KLA members but also the responsibility for the fate of still more than a thousand Albanians missing, will help Kosovo and Serbia to accept to cooperate in the prosecution of war crimes.
– A major advance has already been made by envoys of President of Serbia and Kosovo taking part in meetings concerning the establishment of REKOM – says Kandić.
Vekarić: It is important for the victims and for reconciliation in the region
The possibility to trial the KLA members in the Netherlands who are accused of crimes in Kosovo, and the internationalization of the issue, as estimated by the deputy war crimes prosecutor Bruno Vekaric, is important for two reasons . “The first is the authority of international institutions to deal with this delicate topic away from local politics. The second is the potential impact on witnesses which, if this information is correct, is eliminated by the establishment of an independent tribunal in The Hague. All will benefit from it, especially justice, since all parties, including international players, want an objective fact-finding about the KLA crimes from 1998 to 2000. I believe that it is important for the victims and for reconciliation in the region,” said Vekarić to Danas.
