A Serbian police expert said decisive surrender talks were under way between Serb authorities and top war crimes fugitive general Ratko Mladic, Montenegrin news agency Mina reported on Sunday, according to Reuters. Former Belgrade police chief Marko Nicovic said it was certain the wartime Bosnian Serb military leader was driving a hard bargain and insisting on financial security for his helpers and family and amnesty for those who sheltered him. No one in the government was available for comment. Belgrade is under intensified pressure to hand over the remaining war crimes fugitives, including Mladic and his wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic or be halted on its paths to the European Union and NATO. Nicovic said it was crucial for the government that Mladic surrenders and is not arrested because in the latter event police or guards could be hurt and this could affect the government's rating. "The topic of negotiations is certainly also what the general will say in The Hague," Mina quoted Nicovic as saying. He explained Mladic knew all about the former Yugoslav army's involvement in the Balkan wars.
