Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special envoy to the region and the architect of the Dayton peace accords settling the Bosnian conflict, denied the allegations of aiding Karadzic. “What a surprise”, Holbrooke said in an interview with the Associated Press, “This is old-style Soviet disinformation.” Holbrooke claims that Karadzic himself had started the rumors of U.S. and Soviet cooperation in order to “save face.” The U.S. has a $5-million bounty for information leading to the capture of Karadzic.
Cheif U.N. war crimes prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, has made repeated statements claiming E.U. and NATO members lack the political will to apprehend the remaining fugitives, including Karadzic and Mladic. Del Ponte was in the region last week and Hartmann's allegations are sure to be on the table in discussions with Serbian leaders.
Del Ponte's term expires in December. She is expected to be replaced by Serge Brammertz, who is currently the chief investigator in the U.N. tribunal examining the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik al-Hariri. The entire senior law staff at The Hague, however, has threatened to resign if Brammertz is appointed. The lawyers are advocating for the appointment of Del Ponte's deputy, David Tolbert, who has more than nine years experience.
