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Accused war criminal Seselj says no return to UN court

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Serb ultranationalist leader Vojislav Seselj said Thursday he did not intend to return to face a UN war crimes court, a day after it provisionally allowed him to return home for cancer treatment.

"There will be no voluntary return (to the Netherlands), I would not respond to a summons from the court" based in The Hague, Seselj told reporters.

"The ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) can always issue an arrest warrant," added Seselj, who appeared fit and in a jovial mood.

Striking a defiant note, Seselj said it would be up to Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic -- once his political allies but now his rivals -- to decide if they wanted to arrest him.

"I will not flee," he said.

Seselj, 60, underwent colon cancer surgery in December.

The ICTY last week ordered his release from custody in the Netherlands so he could return to Serbia for cancer treatment.

On Thursday, a defiant Seselj said he would relish the opportunity to be arrested on the orders of Nikolic and Vucic.

The two were once Seselj's closest collaborators, but they both left his Serb Radical Party (SRS) in 2008 and founded their own pro-European SNS party.

"It would be a historical paradox, those who were my closest collaborators and my direct accomplices... would be responsible for delivering me to the ICTY," Seselj said.

He said the UN tribunal set no condition for his release.

"They did not ask me anything... they were anxious to get rid of me."

The UN court accused him of leading ethnic Serb volunteers in persecuting Croats, Muslims and other non-Serbs during the brutal 1990s wars in Croatia and Bosnia.

He voluntarily surrendered to the ICTY in 2003 and went on trial four years later. The trial wrapped up in March 2012 but the court has yet to issue a verdict.

At his trial, Seselj pleaded not guilty to nine counts including murder, torture, cruel treatment and wanton destruction of villages.

Seselj is barred from contact with witnesses or victims and must return to the tribunal when requested.

He was welcomed by more than 1,000 supporters at the Belgrade airport on his return Wednesday and immediately branded Vucic and Nikolic traitors and vowed to chase them from power.

Seselj was to address a party rally in the Serbian capital on Saturday.

Serb ultranationalist leader Vojislav Seselj said Thursday he did not intend to return to face a UN war crimes court, a day after it provisionally allowed him to return home for cancer treatment.

“There will be no voluntary return (to the Netherlands), I would not respond to a summons from the court” based in The Hague, Seselj told reporters.

“The ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) can always issue an arrest warrant,” added Seselj, who appeared fit and in a jovial mood.

Striking a defiant note, Seselj said it would be up to Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic — once his political allies but now his rivals — to decide if they wanted to arrest him.

“I will not flee,” he said.

Seselj, 60, underwent colon cancer surgery in December.

The ICTY last week ordered his release from custody in the Netherlands so he could return to Serbia for cancer treatment.

On Thursday, a defiant Seselj said he would relish the opportunity to be arrested on the orders of Nikolic and Vucic.

The two were once Seselj’s closest collaborators, but they both left his Serb Radical Party (SRS) in 2008 and founded their own pro-European SNS party.

“It would be a historical paradox, those who were my closest collaborators and my direct accomplices… would be responsible for delivering me to the ICTY,” Seselj said.

He said the UN tribunal set no condition for his release.

“They did not ask me anything… they were anxious to get rid of me.”

The UN court accused him of leading ethnic Serb volunteers in persecuting Croats, Muslims and other non-Serbs during the brutal 1990s wars in Croatia and Bosnia.

He voluntarily surrendered to the ICTY in 2003 and went on trial four years later. The trial wrapped up in March 2012 but the court has yet to issue a verdict.

At his trial, Seselj pleaded not guilty to nine counts including murder, torture, cruel treatment and wanton destruction of villages.

Seselj is barred from contact with witnesses or victims and must return to the tribunal when requested.

He was welcomed by more than 1,000 supporters at the Belgrade airport on his return Wednesday and immediately branded Vucic and Nikolic traitors and vowed to chase them from power.

Seselj was to address a party rally in the Serbian capital on Saturday.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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