Momir Stojanovic former head of the Military Security Agency, current SNS MP and head of the Committee for control of the security services, has ended up on the ‘red’ Interpol’s warrant. Retired general was informed about it, as we learned, on Monday through Serbian Interpol bureau, that it Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The list of persons against whom warrant has been issued contains names of 17 Serbs and Montenegrins and one Albanian, who are charged for war crimes against the civilian population in April 1999 on the territory of Reka Kec, near Djakovica/Gjakovë. At that time Stojanovic was the head of security of the Pristina army corpus.
Indictment was raised in front of the ‘basic court’ in Djakovica/Gjakovë, whereas international warrant was forwarded through UNMIK, that is, Interpol’s department of the UN administration in Kosovo. One of the indicted persons, Zoran Mirkovic, died in the meantime in Jagodina. Another one, Miras Misko Gegovic was arrested few days ago in Podgorica, based on the same warrant. He was ordered the six months extradition custody.
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) had kidnapped the son, three brothers and two nephews ofMuharem Ibran, who is also on the list, whereas Vojin Pekovic, brother of Dragan Pekovic, who is also on the list, was killed.
Momir Stojanovic yesterday said that he learnt that another indictment is underway for another 38 citizens of Djakovica/Gjakovë.
I hope that I have the state that will decided about it, because issuing such warrant aims at intimidating Serbs. This warrant is a reply of provisional Kosovo institutions due to the decision of the UN that special court for war crimes committed by the KLA members should be created and that, with such huge number of persons who should be tried for sever crimes, return of Serbs is prevented to Kosovo and Metohija.
He assessed that it is incomprehensible that 16 years after the end of conflicts they come up with warrants. “I am in peace. I recognize only the court of my own state and not the court of some secede tribes.”
The head of the Serbian parliaments Committee for KiM Milovan Drecun stated that Serbia pledges that all crimes should be investigated that are committed during the conflict and that Belgrade has gone far beyond Pristina in that regard. Commenting on the warrant issued against Stojanovic he said that some coincidence could be noticed in relation with the intensive pressure of the West on Pristina to adopt the law on creation of the special court.
“That court should try members of the KLA for war crimes and now that story has been masked, relativized, marginalized. When it comes to colleague Stojanovic, I think that we will have clear situation here. What he did in KiM is available. He was the witness in Hague, and I don’t see what that court in Djakovica is trying to work out,” said Drecun. He claims that indictment has to be brought down when faced with counter-facts, since there is already a negative experience with the behavior of courts in KiM.
“If Ramush Haradinaj is free, who committed terrible war crimes on the territories of Djakovica and Decani, than I don’t know what can anyone in Kosovo talk about any more,” added Drecun.
Since our state can’t cooperate with a court of state which it doesn’t’ recognize, ‘basic court’ in Djakovica/Gjakovë had chosen to issue the warrant through international bodies. However, the question is raised, whether the fact that warrant has been issued through Interpol, following UNMIK’s and EULEX’s request, obliges Serbia to honor it. Particularly, since Serbia has signed a protocol on cooperation with EULEX.
According to certain legal interpretations, Interpol can request from our state to arrest general Stojanovic, but not to send him to Djakovica/Gjakovë, because we are obliged to cooperate with that organization.
On the other side, Stojanovic is faced with arrest as soon as he would leave the country because police of other states are obliged to adhere to Interpol’s warrant.
Professor at the the Faculty of Law Milan Skulic says that it is about classical misuse of Kosovo institutions, since Kosovo is not a member of UN, no matter that UNMIK is functioning there.
“There is no logic that Serbia accepts their requests. We can’t influence on Interpol, but our representatives in Interpol should bring their attention that it is about misuse.”
