Global Policy Forum

Chief UN war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte is in Croatia to urge the handover of a key war crimes suspect

Ante Gotovina is the Hague tribunal's third most wanted man, accused of murdering ethnic Serb civilians during the 1991-95 war. The issue is key to Croatia's chances of joining the European Union. Some EU member states say they will support Zagreb's application only when it is deemed to have fully co-operated with the tribunal. The BBC's Matthew Price says the issue is fuelling political tension in the country. Zagreb insists it does not know the Mr Gotovina's whereabouts.

Report
But Ms Del Ponte says that he is shuttling between Croatia and ethnic Croat areas of Bosnia. She says it is up to Croatia to arrest him - a move the government knows would be deeply unpopular with many Croats who regard him as a hero. Mr Gotovina is alleged to have arranged the killing of at least 150 Serb civilians and the expulsion of 150,000 others following a government operation in 1995 to recapture territory held by rebels. The chief prosecutor is due to submit a report on the former Yugoslavia to the UN Security Council in a few days. The EU has said it will attach great significance to the report .

Watching carefully
Croatia applied for membership of the union in February and hoping to join in 2007. But the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have already said they will not ratify the first stage of the process until Mr Gotovina is handed over. Our correspondent says other Balkan countries are watching the developments carefully. It is generally felt that, if Croatia can complete the lengthy process of joining the EU, this will help other former Yugoslav countries in similar bids. Conversely, if Croatia fails, countries such as Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia-Hercegovina stand no chance.

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