Another June 30th Fiasco

Day before yesterday Carla del Ponte, chief ICTY prosecutor, announced that she expects Radovan Karadžić (Radovan Karadzic) to be in ICTY custody by "the end of the month". When reminded that the month ends next day, she just smiled and confirmed that she expected good news.

But the good news didn't materialise. Some 60 top Bosnian Serb officials, accused or suspected of helping Karadžić avoid justice or not simply not eager enough in their co-operation with ICTY, were sacked by Paddy Ashdown, Bosnia's international administrator.

On the very same day five people in neighbouring Croatia also received bad news related to Hague. They were banned from entering EU because their role in helping Croatian general Ante Gotovina to evade arrest. Those individuals included controversial General Ljubo Ćesić-Rojs (Ljubo Cesic-Rojs), controversial businessman Hrvoje Petrač (Hrvoje Petrac) and Željko Bagić (Zeljko Bagic), former advisor to Croatian president Stipe Mesić (Stipe Mesic).

While those five won't go to Europe, one Croatian will. Mirko Norac is scheduled to appear on July 8th in Hague and answer to charges related to 1993 massacre in Medak Pocket. Not so long ago some 200,000 people flooded streets of Split and many others blocked strategic roads only to prevent that from happening.