BELGRADE, Serbia, March 24 (UPI) -- Serbia is likely to face sanctions from the United States and the European Union unless it gives a war-crime suspect to the U.N. tribunal, Serb media reported.
If the Serbian government fails to hand over former Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic to The Hague tribunal early in April, the EU may suspend its association talks and the United States may freeze its financial aid to Belgrade, the private BETA news agency said.
Washington and Brussels have made it clear they support Serbia and Montenegro on the path to integration into NATO and the EU but only if Belgrade meets its international obligations.
These obligations include the transfer of Mladic and several other war-crime suspects to the U.N. tribunal in The Hague.
Carla Del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of the tribunal, is to visit Belgrade next week to meet with Belgrade officials before reporting to EU leaders about Serbia's relations with The Hague tribunal, BETA said.
