Ratko Mladic gave up ally Radovan Karadzic to save himself
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CroRadio.net
Jul 23, 2008, 8:43:50 PM7/23/08
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/serbia/2448155/Ratko-Mladic-gave-up-ally-Radovan-Karadzic-to-save-himself.html
Ratko Mladic gave up ally Radovan Karadzic to save himself
Radovan Karadzic was arrested after information provided to
investigators by the Hague's other most wanted man, Ratko Mladic,
German intelligence sources have revealed.
By Harry de Quetteville
Last Updated: 10:50PM BST 23 Jul 2008
General Mladic, who was Karadzic's military commander and led Bosnian
Serb troops during the massacre at Srebrenica, is one of two Balkans
war crimes suspects still on the run.
His capture is expected within weeks as his political support network
crumbles and the European Union continues to pressure Serbia to hand
him over.
But according to German intelligence sources, Mladic has been
negotiating with those hunting him over the terms of his capture, and
"gave information on [on Karadzic's whereabouts] to save himself".
According to a source close to the German foreign intelligence
service, the BND, Mladic is determined to avoid going on trial at the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at
the Hague.
Instead he wants to face proceedings at a local court in Serbia, where
he is still regarded by a hero by some. Local war crimes trials began
in Belgrade in 2004, and are housed in a special courtroom kitted out
with a dock encased in bullet proof glass.
Last year, in a verdict seen as a crucial test of Serbia's ability to
dispense justice against its own, four Serb paramilitaries who took
part in the Srebrenica massacre were sentenced to a total of 58 years
in jail. The four featured on video footage of the massacre in which
six Bosnian Muslims were summarily executed.
Despite that verdict however, it appears inconceivable that Mladic
will not be extradited to the Hague if and when he is caught.
"Mladic gave some information on Karadzic, probably several months ago
to save himself," said the source. "That means he knows there will be
a trial." But with his arrest now expected within "weeks rather than
months" the likelihood of Mladic's betrayal of his one-time political
master securing his release to a Serb court is slim.
Mladic's capture was widely expected to occur before that of Karadzic
due to better intelligence on his whereabouts.
But while Karadzic was allegedly protected in part by Serb
intelligence officials, Mladic is assumed to be shielded by parts of
the powerful Serb army establishment as well.
That is likely to make the terms of his surrender more difficult to
arrange than those of Karadzic, because the attitude of Serbia's
intelligence services is more shaped by the government in power now
a newly elected pro-EU coalition.
Serbia's army, however, is likely to prove less malleable, and few in
Serbia have forgotten the fate of Zoran Djindjic, the late prime
minister who handed over Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic to the Hague.
Mr Djindjic was felled by an sniper's bullet outside Serbia's
government building in central Belgrade on March 12th 2003. Last year,
a special Serbian court found 12 men guilty of the killing.
Judges said the plot was led by Milorad Ulemek, a former French
legionnaire and one time commander of the notorious paramilitary
Special Operations Unit of Slobodan Milosevic's police force.
Last year, after a lengthy hearing dubbed Serbia's 'Trial of the
Century', Ulemek, dubbed Legija after his time with the foreign
legion, was sentenced to 40 years in jail.
Western governments are desperate for Serbia to overcome fears of a
similarly violent reaction to Mladic's arrest however, pushing for his
arrest so Belgrade can pursue integration into the European Union.
London, Paris and Berlin are all concerned about the prospect of
Serbia falling under Russian influence and extending Moscow's sphere
of influence to the heart of the Balkans.
"Western intelligence agencies helped [with Karadzic's capture]," said
the source. " That means the CIA, but with the collaboration of the
German, French, British. These European governments are all interested
in getting Serbia into the EU and away from Russia."
Ratko Mladic gave up ally Radovan Karadzic to save himself
Radovan Karadzic was arrested after information provided to
investigators by the Hague's other most wanted man, Ratko Mladic,
German intelligence sources have revealed.
By Harry de Quetteville
Last Updated: 10:50PM BST 23 Jul 2008
General Mladic, who was Karadzic's military commander and led Bosnian
Serb troops during the massacre at Srebrenica, is one of two Balkans
war crimes suspects still on the run.
His capture is expected within weeks as his political support network
crumbles and the European Union continues to pressure Serbia to hand
him over.
But according to German intelligence sources, Mladic has been
negotiating with those hunting him over the terms of his capture, and
"gave information on [on Karadzic's whereabouts] to save himself".
According to a source close to the German foreign intelligence
service, the BND, Mladic is determined to avoid going on trial at the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at
the Hague.
Instead he wants to face proceedings at a local court in Serbia, where
he is still regarded by a hero by some. Local war crimes trials began
in Belgrade in 2004, and are housed in a special courtroom kitted out
with a dock encased in bullet proof glass.
Last year, in a verdict seen as a crucial test of Serbia's ability to
dispense justice against its own, four Serb paramilitaries who took
part in the Srebrenica massacre were sentenced to a total of 58 years
in jail. The four featured on video footage of the massacre in which
six Bosnian Muslims were summarily executed.
Despite that verdict however, it appears inconceivable that Mladic
will not be extradited to the Hague if and when he is caught.
"Mladic gave some information on Karadzic, probably several months ago
to save himself," said the source. "That means he knows there will be
a trial." But with his arrest now expected within "weeks rather than
months" the likelihood of Mladic's betrayal of his one-time political
master securing his release to a Serb court is slim.
Mladic's capture was widely expected to occur before that of Karadzic
due to better intelligence on his whereabouts.
But while Karadzic was allegedly protected in part by Serb
intelligence officials, Mladic is assumed to be shielded by parts of
the powerful Serb army establishment as well.
That is likely to make the terms of his surrender more difficult to
arrange than those of Karadzic, because the attitude of Serbia's
intelligence services is more shaped by the government in power now
a newly elected pro-EU coalition.
Serbia's army, however, is likely to prove less malleable, and few in
Serbia have forgotten the fate of Zoran Djindjic, the late prime
minister who handed over Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic to the Hague.
Mr Djindjic was felled by an sniper's bullet outside Serbia's
government building in central Belgrade on March 12th 2003. Last year,
a special Serbian court found 12 men guilty of the killing.
Judges said the plot was led by Milorad Ulemek, a former French
legionnaire and one time commander of the notorious paramilitary
Special Operations Unit of Slobodan Milosevic's police force.
Last year, after a lengthy hearing dubbed Serbia's 'Trial of the
Century', Ulemek, dubbed Legija after his time with the foreign
legion, was sentenced to 40 years in jail.
Western governments are desperate for Serbia to overcome fears of a
similarly violent reaction to Mladic's arrest however, pushing for his
arrest so Belgrade can pursue integration into the European Union.
London, Paris and Berlin are all concerned about the prospect of
Serbia falling under Russian influence and extending Moscow's sphere
of influence to the heart of the Balkans.
"Western intelligence agencies helped [with Karadzic's capture]," said
the source. " That means the CIA, but with the collaboration of the
German, French, British. These European governments are all interested
in getting Serbia into the EU and away from Russia."
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