Post by MiG on Oct 15, 2007 1:55:17 GMT -5
Del Ponte: SFOR Will Kill Karadzic
The Banja Luka newspaper “Nezavisne novine” published a transcript of an official interview with the chief prosecutor of The Hague tribunal Carla Del Ponte and Dragan Kalinic, led on May 31, 2004 in Banja Luka.
Dragan Kalinic was then the president of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska and president of SDS (Serb Democratic Party). The meeting was also witnessed by the spokeswoman of The Hague tribunal, Florence Hartmann.
DEL PONTE: Can you send a message to Karadzic?
DRAGAN KALINIC: I don’t think I’m able to do that. I’m telling you sincerely, really. I can’t refuse it to you. You can send him a message but I can’t see how then I can bring it to him. I mean, the last time the SFOR broke in his house in Pale and when I told Cavic something like that sanctions will be imposed on Republika Srpska and that many of us will be personally sanctioned, Karadzic’s brother and his friends demonized me. And I was told that his biggest mistake was to put me in a position of some power. But the propaganda is such as that everyone who was written down on the black list of the European Union and America said that I had put them on the list. And with all due respect, it’s no big satisfaction for my family if one day you’ll come put flowers on my grave.
DEL PONTE: You will have a long life, and maybe you will bring flowers to my grave. Just to explain you something. Since September ’99, Karadzic has been in contact with our office, directly. He talked to us of his own will. But he didn’t want it to seem as a surrender. So I agreed that he be captured in Switzerland, but then he changed his mind and he didn’t want to surrender anymore. NATO and SFOR in this complex, as their job here is about to finish, will try to carry out an operation in order to capture Karadzic. Karadzic knows he is in danger, because if they find him, he’ll not be taken to The Hague alive. This will look like an operation to arrest him. Why am I telling this? I am trying to investigate this story about this agreement between Karadzic and Hoolbruk.
DRAGAN KALINIC: Do you think there is one?
DEL PONTE: Yes.
DRAGAN KALINIC: I mean, I’ve never seen it. We’ve always been there… they’ve hid it from us then.
CARLA DEL PONTE: I’m investigating and I have some evidence that it’s the truth, Because Stanisic was there, he involved this combination, these negotiations. But I’m still investigating, I’m not 100 percent sure. But if from the investigation this turns out to be the truth. If this is the truth, then this leads to the killing of Karadzic even more. I think that he needs to have a chance to defend himself, to normally defend himself in a legal trial. And my message for him is, if it’s possible to bring it to him, to have this arrest organized but not with the SFOR. Either that one in Switzerland or differently, because I think that he’s now in real danger. Bring him this message.
DRAGAN KALINIC: There’s no way I can do it, but I’ll talk with Mr. Cavic about it. I’m telling you totally clearly, because my next message to that family will be taken completely negatively. Have faith. If I do it. I’ll talk with Mr Cavic about it. We’ll see how it can be possible to give him the message. But I seriously tell you they are oriented towards me in an unfriendly way. I mean, there is an absolute barrier, I am telling you. But what you say is clear to me…
Link: www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=86079
The Banja Luka newspaper “Nezavisne novine” published a transcript of an official interview with the chief prosecutor of The Hague tribunal Carla Del Ponte and Dragan Kalinic, led on May 31, 2004 in Banja Luka.
Dragan Kalinic was then the president of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska and president of SDS (Serb Democratic Party). The meeting was also witnessed by the spokeswoman of The Hague tribunal, Florence Hartmann.
DEL PONTE: Can you send a message to Karadzic?
DRAGAN KALINIC: I don’t think I’m able to do that. I’m telling you sincerely, really. I can’t refuse it to you. You can send him a message but I can’t see how then I can bring it to him. I mean, the last time the SFOR broke in his house in Pale and when I told Cavic something like that sanctions will be imposed on Republika Srpska and that many of us will be personally sanctioned, Karadzic’s brother and his friends demonized me. And I was told that his biggest mistake was to put me in a position of some power. But the propaganda is such as that everyone who was written down on the black list of the European Union and America said that I had put them on the list. And with all due respect, it’s no big satisfaction for my family if one day you’ll come put flowers on my grave.
DEL PONTE: You will have a long life, and maybe you will bring flowers to my grave. Just to explain you something. Since September ’99, Karadzic has been in contact with our office, directly. He talked to us of his own will. But he didn’t want it to seem as a surrender. So I agreed that he be captured in Switzerland, but then he changed his mind and he didn’t want to surrender anymore. NATO and SFOR in this complex, as their job here is about to finish, will try to carry out an operation in order to capture Karadzic. Karadzic knows he is in danger, because if they find him, he’ll not be taken to The Hague alive. This will look like an operation to arrest him. Why am I telling this? I am trying to investigate this story about this agreement between Karadzic and Hoolbruk.
DRAGAN KALINIC: Do you think there is one?
DEL PONTE: Yes.
DRAGAN KALINIC: I mean, I’ve never seen it. We’ve always been there… they’ve hid it from us then.
CARLA DEL PONTE: I’m investigating and I have some evidence that it’s the truth, Because Stanisic was there, he involved this combination, these negotiations. But I’m still investigating, I’m not 100 percent sure. But if from the investigation this turns out to be the truth. If this is the truth, then this leads to the killing of Karadzic even more. I think that he needs to have a chance to defend himself, to normally defend himself in a legal trial. And my message for him is, if it’s possible to bring it to him, to have this arrest organized but not with the SFOR. Either that one in Switzerland or differently, because I think that he’s now in real danger. Bring him this message.
DRAGAN KALINIC: There’s no way I can do it, but I’ll talk with Mr. Cavic about it. I’m telling you totally clearly, because my next message to that family will be taken completely negatively. Have faith. If I do it. I’ll talk with Mr Cavic about it. We’ll see how it can be possible to give him the message. But I seriously tell you they are oriented towards me in an unfriendly way. I mean, there is an absolute barrier, I am telling you. But what you say is clear to me…
Link: www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=86079