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EU urges Serbia to grab fugitive Mladic
The European Union called on Serbia on Thursday to hand over war crimes fugitive general Ratko Mladic, warning it could suspend talks with Belgrade on closer ties if he was not brought to justice.
The European Union called on Serbia on Thursday to hand over war crimes fugitive general Ratko Mladic, warning it could suspend talks with Belgrade on closer ties if he was not brought to justice.
The repeat warning from Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn coincided with reports in Serbia that Mladic was cornered and under pressure to surrender to the UN Tribunal in The Hague before EU foreign ministers assess the situation next on Monday.
The Serbian government denied rumours on Tuesday that Mladic was already under arrest. It was silent today in the face of further reports saying it was trying to get Mladic to agree to give himself up but feared a gunbattle or his suicide.
"Full cooperation (with the tribunal) should lead to the arrest and transfer of Ratko Mladic," Rehn the European Parliament in Brussels. "Negotiations should be suspended if the Commission judges that Serbia and Montenegro at any time does not satisfactorily address this."
Mladic is indicted for genocide in the 1992-95 Bosnia war.
