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.

GENERAL Ratko Mladic, now the Hague’s other most wanted man, gave up information leading to the capture and arrest of ally Radovan Karadzic, it was reported yesterday.

The United Nations mission in Kosovo is struggling to establish control over courts and customs services in the Serb-dominated north, officials said today.

Serbia may drop a £600m (€787.6m) international debt bill on Kosovo in revenge for its declaration of independence.

America gave Serbia a blunt warning against inciting violence after an angry mob protesting at the independence declared by its former province of Kosovo stormed and set fire to the US Embassy in Belgrade.

Nato troops reopened two demolished border checkpoints between Serbia and northern Kosovo today as thousands of Serbs continued their protests against the country’s independence.

Thousands of Serbs destroyed two border checkpoints in Kosovo today during protests over the country’s newly-declared independence.

Serbia today vowed to block Kosovo’s attempts to gain diplomatic recognition and membership to international organisations including the United Nations.

Kosovo’s leaders sent out 192 letters to the world’s nations today asking for formal recognition of its independence.

Serbia’s foreign minister has urged the UN Security Council to oppose Kosovo’s expected declaration of independence and called on the secretary-general to order that any proclamation be declared null and void.

European Union foreign ministers will try to overcome differences today over whether to offer Serbia a path to EU membership despite the Balkan nation’s failure to track down suspected war criminals.

Serbia is planning retaliatory measures against Western states if they recognise Kosovo’s independence, including the possibility of severing diplomatic ties with the US and EU countries.

Kosovo’s prime minister today vowed to declare independence if internationally brokered talks fail to “open a way for us,” staking out a tough position at last-ditch negotiations on the province’s future status.