War Crimes Tribunal Says Hand Over Suspects 11:24 am PST, 5 July 2001 The United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague has told the Bosnian Serb Prime Minister it wants the republic to take steps to arrest and extradite of two major war crimes suspects. The Prime Minister, Mladen Ivanic arrived at tribunal headquarters for a meeting with Chief War Crimes Prosecutor Carla del Ponte. A spokesman for Ms. del Ponte says the prosecutor wants active measures leading to the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military chief, General Ratko Mladic. The war crimes tribunal indicted the two suspects for crimes against humanity and other war crimes in 1995. The charges include genocide, rape, torture, shelling of civilian settlements, and the destruction of historic monuments. Both former officials are believed to be hiding in the Bosnian Serb republic - which is part of Bosnia-Herzegovina - or elsewhere in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. On his arrival in the Netherlands, Mr. Ivanic said his government will be able to extradite the two prominent suspects once the Bosnian Serb parliament passes a proposed law on cooperation with the tribunal. The Bosnian Serb government approved the draft Tuesday. Meanwhile, Mr. Karadzic's wife said her husband has no plans to surrender to the tribunal. She was responding to media reports that Mr. Karadzic would surrender and testify against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in return for a lighter sentence. Earlier, Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica again criticized the war crimes tribunal, saying it has no impartiality and gives out "selective justice". Mr. Kostunica - who opposed last week's extradition of Mr. Milosevic to the court - also said the tribunal represents American interests above all others. He told an Italian newspaper it would have been better to try Mr. Milosevic in Yugoslavia. News C 2001 to: World News Thursday 5 July 2001 Miroslav Antic, http://www.antic.org/ Serbian News Network - SNN [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.antic.org/
