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UN prosecutor demands Serbia hand over war crimes suspects.

The chief war crimes prosecutor for the United Nations, Carla del Ponte, said that the European Union should not proceed on negotiations with Serbia until all war crimes suspects have been arrested.  Del Ponte has stated that, despite positive assessments by the EU, Serbia should not be perceived as meeting its full obligations to join the European community.  Despite recent arrests of key suspects accused of war crimes during the 1992-95 conflict there, there are still several fugitives suspected of being harbored by sympathizers.  Among the remaining fugitives are Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, key architects of the massacre in Srebrenica, where over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered in 1995.  “We don't have Karadzic and Mladic in custody ‚ that is a failure. If they are not arrested and tried by the tribunal that will be the biggest failure … of the international community,” Del Ponte said.  Those watching this case suspect the two suspects will be handed over to the Hague this summer.

AP

 

Author

Daniel Graeber

Daniel Graeber is a writer for United Press International covering Iraq, Afghanistan and the broader Levant. He has published works on international and constitutional law pertaining to US terrorism cases and on child soldiers. His first major work, entitled The United States and Israel: The Implications of Alignment, is featured in the text, Strategic Interests in the Middle East: Opposition or Support for US Foreign Policy. He holds a MA in Diplomacy and International Conflict Management from Norwich University, where his focus was international relations theory, international law, and the role of non-state actors.

Areas of Focus:International law; Middle East; Government and Politics; non-state actors

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