Serbia to extradite war crimes suspect

Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Stojan Zupljanin, arrested earlier this month, will be extradited to The Hague from Serbia on today, Serbian officials said yesterday.

Arrested on June 11 in the Serbian city of Pancevo, former police chief Zupljanin was one of the four remaining fugitives wanted by the United Nations Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia for war crimes during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia.

He is currently in custody.

Serbia's Justice Ministry said in a statement it had signed the extradition order. A source close to the proceedings told Reuters that Mr Zupljanin would be sent to The Hague in a plane this morning.

Serbia's cooperation with the Hague Tribunal has been set as a pre-condition for the country's progress towards closer ties with the European Union. Former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic and Croatian Serb wartime leader Goran Hadzic are still on the run. The Hague believes they are all within the reach of Serbian authorities.