Tadic says Serbia to continue search for Mladic, Hadzic

04/08/2008

BELGRADE, Serbia -- President Boris Tadic said on Sunday (August 3rd) that Serbia will continue to search for top war crimes fugitives Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, despite protests by ultranationalists against the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. This was Tadic's first public statement since that capture, which sparked a number of death threats against him. He added that Serbia will continue co-operating with The Hague war crimes tribunal. "Today nobody can say that Serbia is not ready to apprehend The Hague indictees and to show its full determination to co-operate with the institution. Those who intend to exercise additional pressure on Serbia [to arrest the last two Hague indictees] are knocking on open doors because Serbia not only demonstrated its will and resolution but also took concrete measures to guarantee its co-operation," Tadic said.

As for Serbia's EU prospects, Tadic said Belgrade will continue to pursue its EU bid, which he described as in the country's "highest national interest". He reiterated, however, that Serbia would not pursue it in exchange for recognition of an independent Kosovo. "If someone thinks that this pro-European government will give up defending national interests for the sake of European prospects, he is wrong," he said. (Danas - 04/08/08; Reuters, AFP, UPI, Tanjug, BBC, B92, Beta, DPA, AP - 03/08/08)