Del Ponte uit zware kritiek op Servië bij start Srebrenica-proces (en)

Chief UN prosecutor Carla del Ponte has strongly criticised the Serbian authorities for failing to deliver key war crime suspects believed to be hiding in the country, as one of the biggest joint trials tackling the 1995 Srebrenica massacre kicked off.

Seven indictees were present at the Hague UN tribunal on Monday (21 August), with five of them accused of genocide or being complicit in genocide and two charged with crimes against humanity. All have pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution suggested they were "among the most responsible" for killing about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, the UN declared haven in eastern Bosnia.

But Ms del Ponte argued it was "scandalous" that the top masterminds behind the atrocities - considered the worst since the World War II - were missing.

"[General Ratko] Mladic should be on trial for this case," she said, adding that it was "inexcusable" that Serbia had still not arrested the fugitive general along with another Bosnian Serb general still on the run - Zdravko Tolimir.

"[The] Serbian government is fully capable of apprehending these indictees, however, it simply refused to do so up until now", the Swiss prosecutor insisted.

Radovan Karadic, a former Bosnian Serb leader also still remains at large, with Bosnia and Herzegovina's authorities urged to do more to capture him.

But unlike in case of general Mladic - believed to be hiding in Serbia - Karadzic's whereabouts are unknown.

EU route leads through the Hague

Both ex-Yugoslav countries are trying to boost their links with the EU and the full co-operation with the Hague court is one of the key conditions for them to move on in this process.

EU foreign ministers opted to freeze negotiations on a so called Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Belgrade in May, due to its failure to deliver general Mladic.

Ms del Ponte's harsh criticism on Monday has signalled that Serbia is unlikely to get a more forthcoming reaction when the EU ministers meet again the autumn.

Rasim Ljajic, a Serbian government official dealing with the Hague, called Ms del Ponte's comments "surprising" given that she had just recently praised Belgrade's latest moves to capture the fugitive.

"There exists political will to arrest Mladic, and hopefully the government's 'action plan' will soon bring about the results," Mr Ljajic said, according to Associated Press agency.

Srebrenica secrets keep unfolding

Despite her frustration, Ms del Ponte said on Monday "you can rest assured - Mladic, Tolimir and Karadzic will be arrested and will be tried by this court in the name of the Srebrenica victims".

She made an emotional statement about the tragic incident, suggesting it was "the final phase of a comprehensive criminal plan to permanently erase the Muslim population of Srebrenica."

"It is difficult, if not impossible, to comprehend the horror inflicted on the inhabitants of the Srebrenica enclave," she said.

"Defenseless men and boys executed by firing squads, buried in mass graves and then dug up and buried again in an attempt to conceal the truth from the world," the prosecutor noted, adding that many victims were bound and blindfolded "to make the murder easier for the executioners," according to press reports.

Mass graves related to the Srebrenica slaughter continue to be excavated.