The Serbian justice minister has confirmed Ratko Mladic is on plane on his way to The Hague.

Judges have rejected an appeal by war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic seeking to stop his extradition to a UN tribunal.

Serbia’s president Boris Tadic said it is time for the European Union to do its part by boosting his nation’s efforts to join the bloc, arguing the arrest of war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic proves it is serious about rejoining the international fold.

Serbia today increased its reward for the capture of Europe’s most wanted war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic from €1m to €10m.

SERBIA took a crucial step forward in its bid to join the European Union yesterday, when EU foreign ministers agreed to examine Belgrade’s candidacy, in reward for softening its stance on Kosovo.

Serbian security officials said today their agencies had stepped up the search for Europe’s most wanted war crimes fugitive, Ratko Mladic.

Top war crimes fugitive General Ratko Mladic is being guarded by armed men and has no intention of surrendering to the UN war crimes tribunal, according to a senior Serbian official.

Serbia's foreign minister predicted that fugitive General Ratko Mladic will be apprehended soon and put on trial at the UN war crimes tribunal, putting to rest an ugly legacy of the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

The United Nations war crimes tribunal has indicted a rebel Serb leader for alleged human rights crimes and breaches of the customs of war in Croatia during the Balkan conflicts.