SERBIA: One of the most senior Serb generals to surrender to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague is due to appear there for the first time today, amid signs that Belgrade is finally willing to extradite fugitives to avert political and financial isolation.
Gen Vladimir Lazarevic is accused of crimes against humanity for allegedly helping plan the murder of hundreds of Kosovo Albanian civilians in 1999, when Serbs fought separatist guerrillas until NATO bombing stopped the conflict.
The fighting killed about 10,000 Albanians and forced some 800,000 people to flee Kosovo.
Gen Lazarevic surrendered last week, shortly after the United States cut aid to Serbia and the European Union warned that it would not even consider Belgrade's bid for membership unless war crimes suspects were handed over quickly.
Mr Rasim Ljajic, the head of the government body in charge of co-operation with the tribunal in The Hague, said over the weekend that all war crimes suspects in Serbia must be delivered to the court in the coming weeks, to avoid another damning progress report from the EU.
"The end of March is the deadline for the (EU) Feasibility Study" on Serbia-Montenegro's chances for membership, Mr Ljajic said on Saturday. "All (suspects) on the territory of Serbia-Montenegro shall be extradited, because our country can no longer suffer the negative consequences."
About a dozen Serbs are wanted on charges related to the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, including Gen Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime commander who is believed to spend much of his time in Serbia.
Mr Ljajic said Gen Sreten Lukic and Gen Nebojsa Pavkovic, also accused of committing atrocities in Kosovo, will surrender to The Hague if a UN medical team deems them fit to stand trial.
