Russia, US 'hindered Karadzic's arrest'
Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:58:50

Source: Agencies

Radovan Karadzic is accused of genocide and other war crimes.
Both Russia and the US 'have intervened at times to protect Bosnian
Serb war criminal Radovan Karadzic', who is charged with genocide.

Former UN official Florence Hartmann makes the allegation in her
memoirs published in France.

Hartmann says much of the information in her book "Paix et
Chatiment" (Peace and Punishment) comes from behind-closed-doors
conversations and events she recorded as former spokeswoman for Carla
Del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor at the UN War Crimes Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia.

Karadzic and his military chief, General Mladic, are accused of
orchestrating the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims. Both are charged
with genocide and crimes against humanity.

The tribunal is scheduled to wind up its work by 2010. In June, Del
Ponte described the failure to apprehend the fugitives as "a permanent
stain" on the tribunal.

Hartmann's book says former French President Jacques Chirac's efforts
to convince the world leaders of the need to capture Karadzic in 1997
failed. Former President Bill Clinton, supported by former British PM
Tony Blair, insisted that the arrest could not go forward without
informing Russia, though it was known to be "firmly opposed to
Karadzic's arrest," Hartmann writes.

In her book, Hartmann says Russia temporarily spirited Karadzic to
Belarus in November 1997 as NATO troops were patrolling in Bosnia.

Karadzic remains a war crimes fugitive.

Chirac's office has not yet made any comments about Hartmann's
allegations, nor did Clinton.

JS/RE

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