(24 Feb 2006) SHOTLIST
1. Wide pan of rally in Belgrade's Republic Square
2. Wide of crowd, some holding pictures of war crime suspects former Bosnian Serb general Mladic and former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic
3. Wide of people cheering speaker
4. Speaker addressing the crowd
5. Pan of crowd
6. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Milena Mantircanski, Serbian Radical Party supporter:
"Seselj, (Vojislav Seselj, Leader of the Serbian Radical Party), Milosevic (Slobodan Milosevic, former Yugoslav President), Ratko Mladic (former Bosnian Serb general) and Karadzic (former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic) are the heroes and winners of the Serbian nation. Listen to the song about them. If necessary I'll give my life for Ratko Mladic, Seselj, Milosevic and the Serbian people."
7. Various of the crowds at the rally
STORYLINE
Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade's Republic Square on Friday, to express their support for Ratko Mladic, Slobodan Milosevic and other former Serbian leaders currently detained or wanted by the Hague tribunal.
The nationalist Serbian Radical Party, whose leader Vojislav Seselj is in detention at the Hague tribunal, organised the rally to protest the court's alleged anti-Serb bias.
The protest came after several days of rumours of Mladic's imminent capture.
Speakers at the rally also voiced their opposition to the the former Bosnian Serb general, Ratko Mladic being arrested on charges of committing war crimes.
One Serbian Radical Party supporter, Milena Mantircanski told AP Television that, "if necessary I'll give my life for Ratko Mladic, (Vojislav) Seselj, (Slobodan) Milosevic and the Serbian people."
Meanwhile, Serbia's prime minister said on Friday that his government - under pressure to hand over war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic - is doing all it can to capture the fugitive former army commander.
The European Union has given Belgrade until the end of February to capture Mladic - wanted for genocide during the 1992-95 Bosnian war - and has threatened to suspend talks on establishing closer ties otherwise.
The prime minister's comments followed days of media speculation that Mladic has been located, and even apprehended.
Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander during the war, was indicted in 1995 for allegedly orchestrating the massacre of some 8 thousand Muslims in the UN enclave of Srebrenica in what was Europe's worst carnage since World War II.
His arrest is seen as crucial for international efforts to bring to justice those responsible for atrocities in former Yugoslavia.
EU foreign ministers will decide Monday whether to suspend negotiations designed to draw Serbia closer to the 25-nation bloc and prepare it for eventual membership - a key goal of the Serbian government.
Some Serbian officials recently have suggested that the authorities were moving closer to capturing Mladic.
But the government has denied reports that it was negotiating the terms of Mladic's surrender, or that he already had been arrested.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
