"We have been given a warning that we must unconditionally meet our international obligations towards the UN court," the Foreign Ministry statement said. "Any refusal or procrastination will only harm our state and national interests. We hope that competent state authorities, as well as citizens and the media in Serbia and Montenegro, will take the message from New York seriously."
Jovan Simic, adviser to Serbian President Boris Tadic on cooperation with the Hague tribunal, told B92 radio that he had expected a negative report from del Ponte, but that he was "surprised, because instead of general criticism, she pointed at Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and the Serbian Government as an obstacle to cooperation."
Simic said that Kostunica and all relevant political factors in the country would be under "terrific political pressure", and added that everyone should be concerned about a report that had for the first time named all indictees sought by the international community.
In their reports, del Ponte and Meron severely criticised Belgrade for almost complete lack of cooperation with the tribunal and for failure to arrest and hand over war crimes suspects.