Bosnia and Serbia agree on warcrimes cooperation

(SARAJEVO) - Bosnia and Serbia reached a deal on Wednesday to enable them to track down and prosecute fugitives suspected of committing war crimes during the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict, officials said.

The announcement is seen as a major breakthrough in efforts to bring dozens of suspects to justice before local courts at a time when a UN tribunal operating from The Hague is wrapping up its work.

The 1992-1995 interethnic war in Bosnia left some 100,000 dead and almost a half of the pre-war population of 3.8 million displaced.

A statement from the Bosnian prosecutors' office in Sarajevo confirmed the deal, while adding that an official signing would take place at a later stage.

"The place and date of signing the protocol on cooperation between the prosecutors office of Bosnia-Hercegovina and war crimes prosecution office of Serbia will be determined later," the statement said, without giving more details.

The European Union, which has played a key role in launching and mediating the accord, hailed the agreement which it said would allow information and evidence from one country to be provided for a war crimes trial in the other.

A suspect could no longer use existing legal means, such as a bar to extradition in their home country, to escape justice, said a statement from the EU mission in Bosnia.

"This protocol also represents a major step in reinforcing regional cooperation in dealing with war crimes cases and putting concrete procedures in place that will help the process of reconciliation in the Western Balkans," the statement quoted EU delegation chief Peter Sorensen as saying.

Following a series of wars that tore apart former Yugoslavia in 1990s, a number of war crime suspects throughout the region have tried to evade justice by hiding behind laws barring extradition to another country.

The accord would enable a trial in their home country for war crimes committed in another. Similar accords have already been reached between Serbian and Croatian authorities.

While the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) tries top political and military officials charged for genocide and war crimes committed during the 1990s wars, local courts deal with lower-profile cases.

Among the last cases being dealt with by the ICTY is that of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb ex-military chief who was arrested in northeastern Serbia on May 26 after being on the run for 16 years.