UN court pursues Croatian general

Carla Del Ponte is likely to press Croatia to co-operate

By Matthew Price BBC correspondent in Belgrade

The chief prosecutor at the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague is due to arrive in Croatia on Wednesday amid a growing diplomatic row.

The government in Zagreb is refusing to hand over a former army chief of staff recently indicted for war crimes by The Hague.

The tribunal wants the 83-year old general handed over

Carla del Ponte, who is travelling to Zagreb as part of a regular tour of the Balkans, is likely to press the authorities to co-operate fully with the court.

The indictment centres around an operation planned and commanded by General Bobetko during the war in Croatia in 1993.

Witnesses at the time reported seeing General Bobetko's troops torturing and murdering local civilians.

Fears of backlash

The case of General Janko Bobetko is gripping Zagreb.

National newspapers have printed posters of the retired chief of staff, and sales of his autobiography - on which The Hague is thought to have based at least part of the indictment against him - have rocketed.

The Croatian government says the indictment is unconstitutional.

Sales of General Bobetko's autobiography have rocketed

In response, the British government has suspended the ratification of an agreement with Zagreb, and there is talk of EU sanctions.

Carla del Ponte will be putting pressure on Zagreb to comply with the court's indictment.

Not wanting to risk a nationalist backlash, it is thought the government will point out that the 83-year-old general is too ill to travel to The Hague.

Change of mood

This case has important ramifications for the whole of the region.

If Croatia is seen to get away with refusing to co-operate with The Hague, other governments will be less inclined to hand over those indicted in their countries.

Many feel Croatia's refusal so far is due to the fact that the government - already unpopular over other issues - does not wish to risk inciting mass protest.

When the indictment against General Bobetko was first announced, the vast majority of the population appeared to back the government's stance.

But as talk of sanctions against Croatia grows, there appears to be a change of mood.

Surveys now show while a majority still support the general, some are starting to argue he should go to The Hague to defend himself and his country.