The chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor for the former Yugoslavia left open for the first time Monday the possibility that Europe’s most wanted fugitive, Ratko Mladic, may be hiding outside Serbia.

The prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, said Serbia remains responsible for arresting Mladic, the wartime Bosnian Serb army commander, who is wanted for genocide. Brammertz said the clues to hunting Mladic, wherever he is, lie in Serbia.

“The solution to his arrest is in Belgrade,” Brammertz said, referring to the capital of Serbia. “But, of course the operational activities are not only concentrated on Serbia.”

Brammertz spoke to reporters in Belgrade. He plans to report to the U.N. Security Council next month on how serious Serbia is about apprehending Mladic and another fugitive, former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic.

Brammertz’ assessment of how well Serbia is cooperating with the Netherlands-based war crimes court will be a crucial consideration for the European Union as it decides whether to allow Serbia to move closer to membership.

Brammertz sharply criticized Serbia recently for its failure to find the fugitives. He said the wanted men are “within reach” of Serbian authorities, something Serbian officials denied vehemently. They have suggested Mladic could be out of the country.

Mladic is wanted by the Netherlands-based court for the killing of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995, the worst atrocity in Europe since the end of World War II, and the three-year shelling and siege of Sarajevo during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war.

November 15, 2010
Associated Press

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