Belgrade is in a fever pitch over the September 16 ruling in The Hague. President Aleksandar Vučić himself has warned that Hashim Thaçi will be released without explaining where he got this information from and without denying accusations that Serbia has supplied the special court with evidence.
"We have difficult days ahead. All those who participated in crimes against Serbs have always been released. Those who participated in persecution were also released. Ante Gotovina and Naser Oric were released. And it doesn't end there. As far as I understand, the decision against Thaci is scheduled for September 16th and will be such that the days spent in detention will be counted and, in essence, he will be released. The Westerners want to tell us: Serbs are guilty of everything," he said.
The Serbian president says he does not trust the justice of The Hague and that his country has not been officially notified of the death of the "butcher of Bosnia" Ratko Mladic, for whom authorities have planned a funeral with high state honors.
The Serbian president's fear is that The Hague's decision will increase pressure on his republic, as a country that aspires to become part of the European Union.
"This campaign is being done for the future and for further pressure on Serbia. Look at what a coincidence, because they like symbols: September 15 is our national holiday, the Day of Serbian Unity, while the decision is scheduled for the 16th. I know it well and I would very much like to be wrong: there will be something condemning, but not for the tragedy and the Serbian victims," he added.
Serbia was bombed by America for 78 days in 1999, to prevent a Serbian plan for ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Albanians, while the KLA paved the way for the country's independence.
