Gordan Jandroković announced a possible step against Serbia after meeting Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s vice president for a fair and competitive transition, in Zagreb. The speaker of the Croatian Parliament said he found the official funeral ceremony held for Ratko Mladić unacceptable and that it was incompatible with European Union values.
Jandroković said Croatia could withdraw its support for Serbia’s EU accession process if Serbia maintains this stance. “We could withdraw our support for Serbia’s EU accession process. Many parties in parliament would support this,” Jandroković said.
Ratko Mladić’s background
Ratko Mladić was born in 1942 in the village of Božanovići, near Kalinovik in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mladić received military training in Belgrade and served in the Yugoslav People’s Army.
After the Army of Republika Srpska was established in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mladić became its chief of staff in May 1992 and remained in the post until 1996.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia issued its first indictment against Mladić on July 24, 1995. After the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mladić fled to Serbia, where he remained in hiding for nearly 16 years.
While Serbian authorities said they could not find Mladić, allegations emerged that individuals in some state institutions had protected him for years. Television footage also emerged showing Mladić meeting people, socializing and posing for photographs in crowded public settings while he was wanted.
His capture and trial
Mladić was captured on May 26, 2011, in the village of Lazarevo near the Serbian city of Zrenjanin. Sent to The Hague on May 31, 2011, Mladić’s trial began on May 16, 2012; he denied the charges against him.
Mladić was regarded as the main person responsible for and instigator of the Srebrenica genocide, in which 8,372 Bosniak civilians were killed in July 1995.
Mladić, who suffered serious health problems in the prison where he was held in The Hague, died on August 27. His body was buried on September 7 in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, in an official ceremony attended by numerous Serbian officials.
Serbia’s decision to hold an official funeral ceremony for a war criminal drew criticism. The possibility that Croatia could withdraw its support for Serbia’s EU accession process also emerged after the ceremony.
