The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Serge Brammertz, said in Belgrade on Monday that the arrest of ICTY fugitive Ratko Mladic should be number one priority of the Special War Crimes Court in Belgrade, adding that when in came to the search for Mladic and the other ICTY fugitive Goran Hadzic there were areas in which more efforts can and must be invested.
Brammertz told reporters after talks with Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic that ICTY and Serbian authorities are trying to see why the two fugitives have not been arrested, what shortcomings in the investigation are and who is aiding and abetting Mladic and Hadzic.
Speaking about speculations considering Mladic's whereabouts, Brammertz said that the main working hypothesis was that the order for his arrest was in Belgrade.
"The main working hypothesis is that the solution to his arrest is in Belgrade, but of course operational activities are concentrated not only on Serbia but are logically also into other areas," Brammertz said.
If Mladic has been able to successfully hide for so long, there must be a reason for that. He is a professional who worked in professional services for a long time, he knows how to hide and how to take countermeasures if somebody was looking for him. Clearly he is not alone and enjoys the support of some people, which is the focus of our investigation, Brammertz said.
Asked to comment on a possible date of Mladic's arrest, Brammertz said there were no official deadlines.
The time is running out for the tribunal, the time is running out for the victims and his arrest is the tribunal's number one priority, Brammertz said adding that the victims expected justice to be served.
Brammertz announced that his report on Serbia's cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague would be finished on Tuesday and sent to the UN Security Council on Wednesday. He added he expected the report to be discussed on 6 December.
Brammertz, who is on an official visit to Belgrade as part of the preparations for the drawing up of the six-month report to the Security Council, also held separate meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and the head of the national council for cooperation with the ICTY, Rasim Ljajic.
PM Cvetkovic said that all relevant bodies were entirely committed to full cooperation with the Hague tribunal and that continuous efforts were being invested so that the remaining two fugitives be brought before justice, the Serbian government said in a statement.
Later this afternoon, Brammertz is expected to meet representatives of intelligence and police services who are working on locating the remaining two ICTY fugitives.
Brammertz is expected to wrap up his visit to Belgrade with talks with Serbian President Boris Tadic.
