Belgrade denies talks with Mladic

Belgrade says it does not know where Ratko Mladic is

Serbian government officials have denied reports that Belgrade is negotiating the surrender of war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic.

Human Rights Minister Rasim Ljajic said he doubted the former military chief would ever hand himself in, but he said authorities were ready to capture him.

The US has said it will resume aid to Serbia amid an expectation that Gen Mladic will soon be in custody.

Gen Mladic is wanted on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

He was indicted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague in 1995.

Belgrade is under increased international pressure to arrest Gen Mladic and former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic before 11 July - the 10th anniversary of the massacre of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica.

"I believe that this state is ready, capable and willing to find Mladic and arrest him," Mr Ljajic said.

"I don't think he would surrender if he hasn't done so for so long."

Media frenzy

There have been conflicting reports in Serbian media over the last few days. Some reports have put Gen Mladic in central Serbia, in an underground bunker at a Belgrade military base, or in a former Soviet country.

One report suggested Gen Mladic was considering surrendering because of poor health.

The government has insisted it does not know where Gen Mladic is.

A senior police official Miroslav Milosevic has described the media speculation as "pure sensationalism".

US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said earlier this week that Washington would release $10m (£5.4m) in aid to Serbia, expressing confidence that Gen Mladic would soon be in custody.

"My strong impression from my discussions here in Belgrade is that the [Serbian] government is working very seriously to find General Mladic and there will be a sincere attempt to capture him or to have him voluntarily surrender and to send him to the Hague," Mr Burns told reporters.

The US froze economic aid to Serbia because of its apparent failure to co-operate with The Hague tribunal.

The screening on television earlier this month of a video apparently showing the execution of Muslim civilians at the hands of Serbian paramilitaries in 1995 shocked many Serbs.

UN chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte has said her office had more video evidence on the massacre.

Serbia and Montenegro has surrendered more than a dozen war crimes suspects in the past six months.