The EU froze negotiations on a stabilization and association agreement with Serbia last May, demanding that Belgrade fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia.
But several EU members have recently urged the bloc not to isolate Serbia.
Former Bosnian-Serb military commander Mladic, one of The Hague-based tribunal's most-wanted fugitives, is accused of genocide and war crimes for atrocities that include the Srebrenica massacre of some 8,000 men and boys.
Del Ponte confirmed on January 30 she is to retire from her post in September, saying, "It's time for me to go back to a normal life."
(AP, Reuters, dpa)
The Fugitives
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Ten years have passed since former Bosnian Serb leader RADOVAN KARADZIC and his former military commander General RATKO MLADIC were indicted by the Hague-based war crimes tribunal for genocide and other war crimes. The two fugitives remain at large, despite the obligation of NATO-led peacekeepers and the various governments in the region to arrest the indictees and send them to The Hague. Many people wonder why the most powerful military alliance in history and a host of governments seeking Euro-Atlantic integration remain unable to catch the two... (more)
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To listen to wartime audio of Ratko Mladic, click here.See also:
Wife Of Ex-Bosnian Serb Leader Urges Him To Surrender
War Crimes Tribunal Judge Says Trials To Exceed 2008 Deadline
Net Tightens Around Key Serb War Crimes Suspect
SREBRENICA: The July 1995 massacre of some 7,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb fighters near the UN-designated safe haven of Srebrenica is the worst atrocity of its kind in Europe since the end of World War II. Since the incident, the name Srebrenica has become practically synonomous with ethnic cleansing....(more)
See also:
Coming To Grips With The UN's Failure At Srebrenica
Child Of Srebrenica Returns Home For Anniversary Of Massacre