Hague says it cannot prevent Seselj from influencing Serbian politics

08/09/2008

THE HAGUE, the Netherlands -- The UN war crimes tribunal on Sunday (September 7th) said it cannot prevent Vojislav Seselj from influencing his Serbian Radical Party's (SRS) political moves in Serbia. Tribunal representatives said the court can restrict a defendant's communication with the outside world only when it appears conversations may involve planning an escape, endangering the safety of witnesses, obstructing trials or threatening order in the detention unit. "It's not up to the court to appraise whether Seselj's conversations influence political events in Serbia," tribunal officials explained. His deputy, Tomislav Nikolic, resigned on Friday after a disagreement with Seselj over the SRS's position on ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Serbia and the EU. Media reported that following Seselj's intervention, the party changed its position and rejected Nikolic's plan to support the agreement in parliament. (B92, Beta - 07/09/08)