The chief prosecutor at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague says the European Union should suspend association talks with Serbia and Montenegro, to pressure Belgrade into arresting a top fugitive war crimes suspect.
Carla del Ponte told the French newspaper Le Figaro she believes Serbia would arrest former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic if the EU states would suspend talks on the Balkan country's bid for closer ties and eventual EU entry.
Del Ponte insists General Mladic is hiding in Serbia. Officials in Belgrade say they do not know his whereabouts.
The European Union has threatened to cancel next month's scheduled association talks with Serbia and Montenegro unless cooperation with the Hague tribunal improves.
The tribunal indicted Mladic, as well as former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, for their role in attacks on civilians during the Bosnian conflict of the 1990s.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.