Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic speaks to ‘Novosti’ about the investigation against the former director of the Military-Security Agency and accusations against the Chief of the General Staff of Serbian Armed Forces.
Our prosecution also deals with the crime in Meje near Djakovica/Gjakovë, and we have some findings and possible perpetrators. Momir Stojanovic has not appeared so far as potential perpetrator of war crimes and I don’t know what kind of evidence a colleague from EULEX has.
How strong are at all evidence against the general and why is red warrant issued now?
EULEX is autonomous in bringing such decision, which they realized through UNMIK. I don’t know what evidence they have and on which basis they have put many individuals on red warrant. Why is all that done exactly at this moment and not earlier is a question that has to do with politics and not with the judiciary. I am not that skilled with the with the first one.
Are you going to cooperate with EULEX with regard to that case?
I am ready, with due approval of state bodies, to check allegations against Stojanovic and other individuals on the wanted list. The problem lays, however, in the lack of legal framework, since EULEX acts from the position of sovereignty and recognition of Kosovo as a state, whereas our institutions act in line with the Constitution and (UNSC) Resolution 1244. The only act signed so far is the one on technical on cooperation between Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and EULEX. However, following requests of EULEX toward our state bodies, Ministry of Justice, in a sort of harmonized form, we could take actions in efforts to settle those cases.
Is prosecution investigating accusations against the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubisa Dikovic?
Prosecution is checking all allegations of any criminal charges that we receive. That was exactly what we did when we received the first one in 2009, and after checks we came to conclusion that there are no evidence that General Dikovic had committed what he was charged with.
What with investigations of crimes against Serbs? Will Albanian perpetrators ever be available to our judiciary?
At this moment we are looking for 98 members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who have committed crimes against Serbs. Also, we have contributed significantly, along with colleagues from MIA, in assisting the investigator Clint Williamson and his team, what has contributed significantly to creation of the Special Court for the KLA. The most important thing is that crimes against non-Albanians, which took place from 1998 to 2000, will take the court epilogue. Victims will be able to tell their tragic stories, the truth about the crime against Serbs will get the international dimension.
How do you comment some media highlights that you are financed by the United States?
That is a sort of pressure on prosecution, what is nothing new. They are always attacking my associates and me, they are trying to discredit us, but we are honestly performing our duties and we respond to such attacks through the cases that we resolve. Our prosecution is cooperating and communicating with numerous foreign subjects, particularly the OSCE members states, which monitors war crimes cases in Serbia, and what is financed by the EU. I’ll remind you that the US is the OSCE member state.
