Global Policy Forum

By Matt Prodger

The Serbian Prime Minister, Vojislav Kostunica, has said future Serbian war crimes cases should be tried before Serbian courts. In a BBC interview, Mr Kostunica said his country had already fulfilled its obligations to the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Belgrade is under strong international pressure to hand over Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, among others. Mr Kostunica was speaking ahead of local elections in Serbia.

Mr Kostunica also said his government was preparing anti-corruption legislation to prosecute Serbian oligarchs. And reports of ethnic Hungarians in Serbia being persecuted by Serb nationalists were being exaggerated by the Hungarian government, he said. Asked about the Serbian war crimes suspects, Mr Kostunica said: "I think that they should be tried before our court."

"Serbia has transferred up until now most of its leading politicians and officers to The Hague tribunal, compared to the other countries," he said. Serbia and Montenegro has yet to hand over more than a dozen war crimes indictees, including Gen Mladic. Foreign observers say he is hiding in Serbia - a claim denied by Belgrade.

Mr Kostunica said his government was preparing legislation to prosecute oligarchs, who had accumulated wealth and power under former President Slobodan Milosevic. A former minister recently described Serbian politics as being infected by corruption and mafia control.

Hungary tensions

Mr Kostunica went on to criticise neighbouring Hungary for complaining to the European parliament about recent increases in violence against ethnic Hungarians in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. "I do think that the objections that have been made by the Hungarian government are over-exaggerating actual situations."

"We do not have atrocities in Vojvodina. We have different forms of quarrels, fights, conflicts, between Serbs and Hungarians, and I am very concerned about that, but not more than that."

Serbia's municipal elections will provide an important indicator of the popularity of Mr Kostunica's government, widely seen as an unsustainable divided coalition. Fresh parliamentary elections may yet be held at a time when Serbia desperately needs some stability.