UK man 'could face Serbia trial'

Mr Pejic holds a British passport and lives in Northamptonshire

A UK-based Serb man accused of taking part in a massacre in Croatia would be tried in Serbia - not The Hague - if charged, say prosecutors.

Milorad Pejic was arrested last week in Belgrade, accused of involvement in the deaths of more than 200 people in 1991.

The Serbian War Crimes Prosecutors' office said Mr Pejic was not believed to have held a high enough rank in the Serbian Army to be tried at The Hague.

Mr Pejic, a UK passport-holder, lives with his wife in Northamptonshire.

'Lengthy investigation'

Prosecutors have said Mr Pejic, an ethnic Serb born in Croatia, was suspected of involvement in the killing of 200 Croatians at a pig farm in Ovcara, near Vukovar.

He was arrested on an international arrest warrant at Belgrade airport on 19 March.

Serbian authorities said they had begun investigating Mr Pejic's alleged involvement in the 2003 killings, but because he lived in Britain they were unable to arrest him.

A lot of time has elapsed and some details have disappeared, so maybe the job to prove anything will be rather tough Serbian War Crimes Prosecutors' office

More than 1,000 civilians were killed in a three-month siege and bombardment of Vukovar.

A spokeswoman for the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutors' office said there would now be a lengthy investigation into Mr Pejic's alleged involvement.

"The investigation is very intensive but we hope something will emerge soon.

"What we now expect to have is a rather lengthy process because a lot of time has elapsed and some details have disappeared, so maybe the job to prove anything will be rather tough."

She said The Hague was only for "high ranking people".

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has jurisdiction over individuals responsible for war crimes committed in the territory since 1991.

"[Mr Pejic] is middle ranking or lower ranking for what he is suspected of," she said.

She added that he was being held in cells next to their offices in the city and had been given access to a lawyer.

On Wednesday Mr Pejic's wife Loubica Dokic, 38, insisted her husband was innocent.

The UK Foreign Office said they had not been made aware of any developments since they were told about Pejic's arrest.