Karadzic's wife quits Red Cross post

Mrs Zelen-Karadzic says she has been forced to resign

The wife of the fugitive Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, has resigned from her post as head of the Bosnian Serb Red Cross.

Ljiljana Zelen-Karadzic said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had forced her to go simply because she was the wife of Mr Karadzic.

Every time we wanted to talk to the donors about assistance they would start by putting forward the issue of the Serb Republic's Red Cross presidency

Pascal Cuttat, Head of ICRC in Bosnia

The head of ICRC delegation in Bosnia said Ms Karadzic's position had become untenable for the image and perception of the organisation - officials say her presence had led to a cut in funding.

Mr Karadzic is wanted by the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague on genocide and war crimes charges.

In announcing her resignation Mrs Zelen-Karadzic accused the ICRC of "violating the basic principles of their organisation."

She said she did not want "to be put again in an unpleasant situation by representatives of international organisations and some local officials" who had been pressuring her to quit.

Donor reluctance

"We welcome the decision by Mrs Karadzic," said Pascal Cuttat, head of the ICRC delegation in Bosnia.

Radovan Karadzic has been on the run for years

Mr Cuttat said funding to the Bosnian Serb Red Cross had been suffering because of Mrs Zelen-Karadzic's association.

"Every time we wanted to talk to the donors about assistance they would start by putting forward the issue of the Serb Republic's Red Cross presidency," he said.

"Now, we can get down to work together to assist all the people who need our help," he added.

Mr Karadzic has been on the run for years, having been twice indicted by The Hague for his alleged role in the mass killings and expulsions of Bosnian Muslims and Croats during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

His wife has said that he will never give himself up.