Redakcija
Bosnian Ambassador and permanent representative to United Nations Sven Alkalaj thanked Judge Carmel Agius and the Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts on a job well done, during Tuesday’s UN Security Council session, adding that BiH courts have already taken all measures in the implementation of the strategy for the work on war crime cases.
One of the goals, he said, is to finish all cases by 2023 when all the potential perpetrators must answer for their actions.
Alkalaj criticised the Serbian government for protecting the convicted war criminal Novak Djukic responsible for the murder of 71 Tuzla youths.
“the General Djukic case is vital in demonstrating BiH’s co-operation with neighbouring judicial authorities. After Djukic was convicted of war crimes, he fled to Serbia. That damaged the relationship [with Serbia]. He must return to face his crimes,” Alkalaj concluded.
He also spoke about war criminal Ratko Mladic.
“After evading justice for some 10 years, with the support of the Serbian authorities, the Mechanism passed a verdict against Mladic today and closed this chapter. There are those who glorify war crimes and deny genocide. This is especially related to the Mladic case. Today’s verdict shows that the attempt to rewrite history will fail,” said Sven Alkalaj.
After his address, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, asked for the floor. He said Alkalaj did not have the permission to speak tonight adding that that is how Bosnian Serb Presidency member Milorad Dodik informed him.
After Vucic finished his presentation, the session of the Security Council ended.
Earlier on Tuesday Dodik said that Alkalaj could not address the UN SC “because the Presidency of BiH did not reach an agreement regarding the proposal for his presentation.”
In a letter to the UN SC, Dodik stated that the BiH ambassador may physically attend the session but “without addressing it.”
His colleague from the State Presidency reacted later tonight saying in a letter addressed to the UN Security Council that Alkalaj had full approval to address the session.
“I take this opportunity to inform you that Chairman Dodik did not follow the procedure of the Presidency when he expressed his opinion. As a member of the BiH Presidency, I would like to inform you that there are no obstacles for Ambassador Alkalaj to address the Security Council,” Komsic concluded.
In a reaction to N1, he said that “Dodik is a bandit like Mladic.”
“He [Dodik] doesn’t recognize the verdicts of the United Nations Court while at the same time he writes to the UN Security Council in order to prevent the BiH Ambassador’s address,” Zeljko Komsic stated at the end.
Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb army general, was sentenced to life in prison by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (MICT), Tuesday, confirming the first instance verdict.
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