Bosnian Serbs to help U.N. court

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia -- The Bosnian Serb parliament has given initial approval for a a law on co-operating with the U.N. war crimes tribunal.

Criticism by the tribunal towards the Bosnian Serb state's reluctance to cooperate prompted the legislation being passed in the first round of voting.

The session ended with 45 votes for, five against, and 25 abstentions.

The legislation will undergo a public debate until early September, when parliament will vote again on the law.

After that, Justice Minister Biljana Maric said: "Republika Srpska will no longer be an enclave which does not co-operate with the tribunal in The Hague."

The state's closest ally, Serbia, extradited former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic last month, bringing about more criticism toward Bosnia's unwillingness to hand over its wartime leader, Radovan Karadzic, who is thought to be hiding in the country since his tribunal indictment.

Serb Democratic Party (SDS) member Desanka Radjevic said the law does not only affect Karadzic.

He said: "Any citizen of the Serb republic could be condemned and arrested."

Bosnian Serb Justice Minister said the legislation clarifies the role of police, which is to apprehend and hand over war crimes suspects to the tribunal.

The tribunal believes that more than 20 indictees are hiding in the republic. Bosnian Serb officials say they do not know the whereabouts of the suspects.

Others believe there is no need for the law as Bosnia is required under the Dayton peace accord, which ended the country's 1992-5 war, it is required to co-operate with the tribunal.

Members of the SDS have contested that the Bosnian Serb constitution does not allow it to extradite its citizens.

The public has until September 7 to comment on the law, and parliament will re-vote on the legislation on September 15.

Allegations have been made that the tribunal indicts only Serbs despite the indictment of Croatian General Rahim Ademi, who turned himself in to The Hague on Wednesday to face charges he committed crimes against Serbs.

Over the past month, 50 Serbs have been summoned by the tribunal for questioning in relation to suspected crimes committed in Bosnia's northwestern region of Krajina.