I really want to stop writing stories about clueless Dutch politicians making braindead statements about Serbia’s Full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, but it just never stops. The latest is that the Dutch foreign minister, Maxim Verhagen, is claiming that the arrest of Ratko Mladic would be the best proof that Serbia accepts European values:
Full cooperation with the court in The Hague would demonstrate loyalty to international law and basic values which EU countries share, whose standards Serbia, as a potential member of the European family, must satisfy.
The mistake, again (and we keep hearing this) is this weird assumption that without the arrest of Mladic, it means Serbia is not cooperating fully with the Hague Tribunal. But that’s simply not true. It really does amaze me how people’s brains seem to stop as soon as “Mladic” enters the picture. But, once again, just because Serbian government does not know the whereabouts of Hague indictee Mladic, it does not mean Serbia is not fully cooperating with the court in The Hague. In the past few years, Serbian Government arrested two former presidents and extradited 44 people to the tribunal out of 46 indicted. That doesn’t sound like a country that’s trying to not demonstrate loyalty to international law. It sounds like the opposite.
So, sorry Mr. Verhagen, but it very much is an arrest problem. It’s just difficult to apprehend Mladic. And, yes, Serbia demonstrated loyalty to international law and arrested two former presidents. That you want to ignore them is your problem, but don’t claim that Serbia does not accept European values. Open your eyes and look at what has happened so far.
