Karadzic wants US diplomats to testify under oath

Philippines News.Net
Wednesday 6th August, 2008

Radovan Karadzic has demanded the UN war crimes court order former US diplomat Richard Holbrooke to give evidence about an alleged secret deal.

In a challenge to the legality of his pending genocide trial, the Bosnian Serb wartime leader has claimed his prosecution should be stopped due to the so-called agreement.

Karadzic said to the court: "I propose that you order that Richard Holbrooke appear before you and declare under oath whether or not there was such an agreement and whether the USA complied with its obligations from that agreement."

Karadzic repeated his allegation that the US had reneged on a deal to shield him from trial by the International Court.

He said Holbrooke, the US peace negotiator in Bosnia, had promised he would protect Karadzic from prosecution by the tribunal in return from disappearing from the public eye.

Karadzic also repeated claims that former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright had made offers concerning immunity from prosecution.

Mr Holbrooke rejected Karadzic's claims in an interview with CNN last Thursday.

Karadzic has also called on the court to order the appearance of Albright, ex-US diplomat William Stuebner and former ICTY prosecutor Richard Goldstone.

He said Stuebner and Goldstone would also be able to give evidence about the alleged agreement.

Karadzic said a video recording existed to support this claim.

Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic had wanted a similar list of people brought before his genocide trial, with no success.

The list had also included Holbrooke and Albright.

Karadzic, 63, was arrested in Belgrade 13 years after the International Court first issued an indictment against him for his part in the Bosnian war in which 100,000 people died.

He faces 11 charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

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