Noose tightening around war crimes suspect

The arrest of an alleged Croatian underworld boss in Greece has raised hopes that one of the UN war crimes tribunal’s most wanted suspects is also within grasp.

UN court prosecutors have long claimed that fugitive army Gen Ante Gotovina was being harboured by a criminal network in Croatia, perhaps even by people close to the government.

Yesterday’s arrest of Hrvoje Petrac by Greek intelligence agents on an Italy-bound ferry prompted hopeful statements from Croatian officials that they might be getting closer to Gotovina.

Petrac, himself wanted on a host of criminal charges, is suspected of helping Gotovina flee Croatia and sheltering him from authorities.

Today, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader hailed Petrac’s capture.

“The arrest of Hrvoje Petrac brings us a step closer to our mission, proving that we are determined to complete our obligations,” Sanader told state-run television.

Last year Petrac was sentenced in absentia by a Croatian court to six years in prison for abduction and other crimes.

The government, which says Gotovina fled the country soon after his 2001 indictment by the UN tribunal, has been under strong pressure to locate the fugitive general.

In March, the European Union postponed entry talks with Croatia – a prelude to eventual membership – demanding that the Balkan country first capture and extradite Gotovina, who remains popular among the Croatian public.

The UN tribunal, located in The Hague, Netherlands, accuses Gotovina of masterminding the killing of at least 150 Serbs and the expulsion of some 150,000 others during Croatia’s 1991-95 war.

More than 15,000 people were killed in the fighting between Croatians and rebel minority Serbs, who opposed the country’s independence from the former Yugoslav federation.

Petrac, holding a false passport, was arrested on an international arrest warrant on charges of kidnapping, hostage-taking and incitement, in connection with the abduction of a former general’s son.

Croatia has launched extradition proceedings and expects Petrac to be transferred from Greece within 40 days, a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said today.