Police capture Bosnian war crimes suspect

SERBIA:SERB POLICE arrested war crimes suspect Stojan Zupljanin yesterday and prepared to send him to the UN tribunal at The Hague, after an operation that officials said proved their country's commitment to meeting conditions set by Brussels for entry to the European Union.

Mr Zupljanin was captured near Belgrade, and will face charges of killing Muslim and Croat civilians during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, when he was a police commander in the city of Banja Luka.

He was arrested as Serbia's parliament met for the first time since May elections which left the country deeply divided between pro-EU liberals and nationalists.

The latter want to freeze co-operation with the EU and the UN war crimes court, which is still demanding the arrest of Ratko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic and Goran Hadzic, who were ethnic-Serb political and military leaders during the Bosnian war.

The parliamentary session was adjourned yesterday with the nationalists and liberals both still vying for a coalition deal with the socialists, who were once led by autocratic president Slobodan Milosevic.

The parties now have three months to form a government before new elections are triggered.

"Stojan Zupljanin was arrested today near Belgrade . . . police and security agents took part in the operation. He should be extradited to The Hague in the next 72 hours," said Bruno Vekaric, spokesman for Serbia's special war crimes prosecutor.

"There was no resistance during his arrest," added Vladimir Vukcevic, the prosecutor who co-ordinated the operation.

"This arrest shows clearly that we are seriously co-operating [with The Hague] and there is the political will for full co-operation."

Mr Zupljanin's unexpected arrest was also welcomed by Brussels, where EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn called his capture "an important step towards full co-operation with [The Hague], which is key to bringing justice and lasting reconciliation in the western Balkans region."

In Bosnia, Muslim politicians also hailed the arrest of Mr Zupljanin, and expressed hopes that it would mark a turning point in Belgrade's on-off collaboration with The Hague in the hunt for indictees.

"It is a sign that some things will change in Serbia in terms of apprehension of war crimes fugitives," said Muharem Murselovic, a Bosnian Muslim who was held at a detention camp run by Mr Zupljanin, and is now a member of Bosnia's parliament.

"It also gives some hope to the victims that people responsible for the crimes cannot evade justice," he said.