Top war crimes suspect in court

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One of the top four war crimes suspects from the former Yugoslavia, an ex- Bosnian Serb regional police chief, has made his first court appearance.

Stojan Zupljanin, 56, who was arrested last week in Serbia, has been wanted for nine years.

Mr Zupljanin told the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague that he regretted the break-up of Yugoslavia.

He also said he wished long life and liberty to his fugitive former bosses Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic.

Mr Karadzic was the Bosnian Serb leader during the country's 1992-95 war and Mr Mladic his military chief.

The pair are wanted on genocide charges for allegedly organising the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica, and other atrocities during the Bosnian war.

Fears

In Monday's proceedings, Mr Zupljanin accused Serbia of trying to eliminate him and said it was almost a relief to be in custody.

Mr Zupljanin told the court that he hoped his "remaining brothers" were still alive but added that he feared "that perhaps night has swallowed them up".

He said: "I am really afraid for them, and really from the bottom of my soul I am aware of all the suffering and difficulties they are going through and which I went through myself.

"I hope Lord God helps them and I wish them long life and freedom."

He alleged that the claimed Serbian authorities tried to "liquidate" him and the other three fugitives and complained of being "exposed to suffering and superhuman efforts to survive".

Mr Zupljanin added: "Compared to this, prison was a welcome thing. I was afraid of anything and everything."

He did not enter a plea to charges of crimes against humanity.

Mr Zupljanin is accused of being responsible for ethnic cleansing and for overseeing concentration camps in which thousands of Bosnian Croats and Muslims perished.