JURIST - Paper Chase: EU extends deadline for Serbia to deliver Mladic to Hague war crimes court

[JURIST] The EU on Friday extended its deadline for Serbia [JURIST news archive] to hand over wanted war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic [ICTY case backgrounder; BBC profile] to April 30 after chief ICTY prosecutor Carla del Ponte [BBC News profile, JURIST news archive] confirmed the country's willingness to cooperate with the tribunal. Mladic has been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia [official website] for genocide and crimes against humanity including the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre [JURIST report]. Based upon del Ponte's favorable report, the EU decided not to suspend membership talks with Serbia [JURIST report] as it warned was a possibility. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn [official website] said Friday that he has received a "firm commitment" from the Serbian prime minister that efforts would be made to "locate, arrest and transfer" Mladic to the ICTY "without delay."

The ICTY has pressured Serbia to deliver Mladic to The Hague for some time, while Serbia has requested patience on the matter [JURIST report], citing a "complex political situation" as the source of delay. AP has more.

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