A European Union deadline for Serbia to surrender war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic has expired with no sign of the former army commander, threatening the nation’s efforts to join the bloc.

Dutch pathologists conducted a post mortem examination and toxicological tests today to determine what killed Slobodan Milosevic amid claims that the ex-Yugoslav leader feared he was being poisoned.

Dutch pathologists were conducting a post mortem examination today on Slobodan Milosevic’s remains to find out what killed the former Yugoslav leader, found dead in his jail cell a day earlier.

Slobodan Milosevic’s death just before the end of his trial deprived victims of justice – and made the capture of war crimes fugitives Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic even more urgent, the chief UN prosecutor said today.

SERB security officials insisted yesterday that top war-crimes fugitive General Ratko Mladic had been located and that authorities were trying to persuade him to give himself up.

Top Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect General Ratko Mladic is in Serbia, but he “remains at large,” chief UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said today.

Serbia is not negotiating for the surrender of Ratko Mladic, the top war crimes suspect from the Yugoslav wars, and he “remains at large,” chief UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said today.

A top Serbia-Montenegro official expressed confidence today that searches for fugitive war crimes suspects will lead to their capture and extradition to the UN war crimes court.

Chief UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said today that top war crimes suspect Gen Ratko Mladic is hiding in Serbia under the protection of the Serbian army.

The chief UN war crimes prosecutor today said that the top Croatian war crimes fugitive, Gen. Ante Gotovina, had been arrested in Spain’s Canary Islands after four years on the run.

The European Union opened membership talks with Croatia after the United Nations war crimes tribunal’s chief prosecutor said the government in Zagreb was now co-operating fully with efforts to bring a suspect to trial.

Serbia’s police chief today denied reports top war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic has been located, but said authorities were working to find him and extradite him to the UN war crimes tribunal.

Serbian police have arrested at least eight men they say are shown in a video killing a group of Bosnian Muslim prisoners from Srebrenica, a top Belgrade official said today.

Ann Cahill, Europe Correspondent

The European Union will delay the opening of membership talks with Croatia at least until March, giving Zagreb three months to bring an indicted war criminal to justice, sources said today.

The chief UN war crimes prosecutor for former Yugoslavia said she expected one of the most wanted figures from the Balkan wars, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, to be arrested today.

Widows of victims of Europe’s worst massacre since the Second World War today asked the UN war crimes tribunal’s top prosecutor to create a unit of volunteers to hunt down the two top suspects.

Abigail Levene and Paul Gallagher, The Hague

Slobodan Milosevic’s war crimes trial resumed today with the former Yugoslav president still leading his own defence, despite calls from UN prosecutors that a lawyer be imposed for the sake of his frail health.

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic went on trial today before a United Nations tribunal, accused of genocide in the Balkans.

Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic will be found guilty of genocide in his forthcoming war crimes trial, United Nations War Crimes Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte predicted today.

The UN chief war crimes prosecutor has accused the Yugoslav government of harbouring the Bosnian Serbs’ wartime commander who has been indicted for genocide.

The chief prosecutor at the UN War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague has accused the Yugoslav government of harbouring Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic, who is wanted by the UN.

A former Yugoslav army general charged with destroying much of the ancient port town of Dubrovnik during the Croatian war today boarded a flight to The Netherlands to answer to the UN war crimes court.

The chief prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal says the indictment against former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic will be enlarged.

Slobodan Milosevic today phoned his family from The Hague prison, denying the war crimes charges and saying he was ‘‘fine and healthy’’, the former president’s lawyer said.

The chief prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal said today the indictment against Slobodan Milosevic has been amended and enlarged to include more crimes and more victims of the Kosovo conflict in 1999.