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Serbia Requests Ganic's Extradition from Britain



Serbia has officially asked Britain to extradite former Bosnian Muslim leader Ejup Ganic, who is wanted on war crimes charges.

Ganic was arrested on 1 March at London's Heathrow Airport on a Serbian warrant. He is accused of taking part in a 1992 ambush on a Yugoslav army convoy that was retreating from Sarajevo, in which at least 18 soldiers were killed.

Last week, Bosnia also made an extradition demand, saying that under international law it is entitled to process its citizens accused of war crimes.


A British court has scheduled an extradition hearing for 29 March.

Bosnian officials have criticized Ganic's arrest and say it will not only strain relations between the two Balkan neighbors, but also the inter-ethnic relations within Bosnia-Herzogovina.

During the 1992-1995 ethnic conflict in Bosnia, Belgrade politically and militarily supported Bosnian Serbs.

Serb authorities accuse 19 former Bosnian officials of having a role in the 1992 ambush of the Yugoslav Army convoy. They say more than 40 people were killed in the attack.

Ganic, a professor of engineering, served as president and vice president of the Bosnian Federation between 1997 and 2001.

Under the 1995 Dayton peace accords, Bosnia was divided into two entities -- the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serb Republic. Ethnic tensions remain high.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP or Reuters.

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