European press review

Thursday's European press is dominated by speculation about the possible arrest of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic.

Germany's Die Welt says Serbia seems to be prepared to arrest Gen Mladic "in order to put the West in a benevolent frame of mind" for the talks on the future status of Kosovo.

But it says the European Union will have to ensure the Kosovo issue does not lead to the return of radical forces in Serbia.

"If the reorganisation of the Balkans is to last, the integration of Serbia into European structures is essential," the paper says.

Germany's Berliner Zeitung finds it difficult to see why Serbia should not co-operate with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, as it has done so in the past.

The paper points out that former President Slobodan Milosevic as well as six generals have been handed over and "nothing terrible" happened - no "reactionary coup", no "civil war".

"This apparent hesitation in the case of Mladic is really not easy to understand," the paper says.

The Serbs know that their country's place can only be in Europe and the EU Austria's Der Standard

Austria's Der Standard says that if Gen Mladic were to be arrested, Belgrade's standing would "improve dramatically from one day to the next".

Although there would probably be a strong reaction from the ultra-nationalists, the paper says, "these nationalist convulsions" leave many of the general's fellow countrymen cold.

"The Serbs know that their country's place can only be in Europe and the EU," it says.

'Unstable' government

Slovakia's Pravda predicts that Ratko Mladic's days at large are coming to a close.

If Gen Mladic does not appear before the Hague tribunal soon, the paper believes, Belgrade will have to face a freeze on its accession talks.

No government wants to play cat and mouse when its political survival is at stake Slovakia's Pravda

"There is too much at stake already - the country's future in Europe," the daily says, adding that the "unstable" Serbian government coalition is well aware that if this goal disappears in the mist, the coalition itself is unlikely to survive.

"This game of hide and seek with justice which Ratko Mladic has been playing for 10 years is coming to a close", the daily says.

"No government in the world wants to play cat and mouse when its political survival is at stake."

The Romanian daily Gandul believes the noisy speculation about Gen Mladic's possible arrest shows that Belgrade has realised that its EU hopes will be dashed if this condition is not met soon.

"The authorities in Belgrade finally seem to have taken the EU threats seriously," the paper says.

"They now understand that unless they co-operate seriously with the Hague tribunal's prosecutors, they cannot even dream of an association treaty with the EU, and the country's possible accession would be absolutely out of the question."

The paper recalls a similar scenario with Croatia, where talks with the EU began only after General Ante Gotovina was handed over to The Hague.

"Under these circumstances, the arrest of Mladic is imperative," the paper concludes.

Knock on the door

The Bosnian Serb paper Nezavisne Novine says Gen Mladic is poised to commit suicide if he hears the fateful knock on the door.

It says an anonymous caller phoned to say that the general would "not surrender, and he has been holding a gun to his temple since Tuesday afternoon."

The caller reportedly added that if Gen Mladic did not commit suicide, there was a man standing by with orders to kill him, the paper reports.

The general is "still in the Mt Cer area", the paper says. "He will not be taken to The Hague alive."

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.