Global Policy Forum

A top aide to Serbia's new prime minister has ruled out extradition of more Serbs to the UN war crimes tribunal, even if it means the end of international support for the impoverished country. Dragan Marsicanin, Serbia's new trade minister and a close associate of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, told Serbian state television late Thursday that his government will organize war crimes trials at home rather than hand over suspects to the court in The Hague, Netherlands. "The answer is no," Marsicanin declared when asked by the state TV reporter whether the remaining fugitives will be handed over if further U.S. and other international financial and political support for Serbia depends on that. Marsicanin's comments, reaffirming comments made earlier by Kostunica himself, were also carried by local media on Friday. The United States and the European Union both have warned Serbia that further support depends on the country's co-operation with The Hague tribunal, which is trying those responsible for atrocities committed during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Washington has said that millions of dollars of aid for Serbia this year will depend on the government's readiness to help arrest former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, who is believed to be hiding somewhere in Serbia-Montenegro. Also wanted by the tribunal are four Serbian police and army generals, who commanded Serb troops in Kosovo during the 1998-99 war when thousands of ethnic Albanians were killed.

Kostunica, a moderate nationalist who took office as prime minister on Wednesday, repeatedly has said that co-operation with The Hague court will not be his government's priority. Kostunica has also accused the tribunal of anti-Serb bias. Marsicanin said that "there is a possibility to find a solution and achieve what is called two-way co-operation" with the UN tribunal. He said such co-operation would include trials of war crimes suspects in Serbia. Kostunica's new cabinet was elected with delay after weeks of deadlock in political negotiations following early elections on Dec. 28, 2003. The new government needs parliamentary support from former president Slobodan Milosevic's Socialists, who also oppose extradition of war crimes suspect. Milosevic is currently being tried by The Hague court for war crimes and genocide for his role in the wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Milosevic was handed over to the tribunal in 2001 by a pro-Western government which was ousted by hardliners in parliament last fall.