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Bosnian General Flies to The Hague
A former commander-in-chief of Bosnia's mainly Muslim army has left Sarajevo for The Hague, where he is to surrender to the International War Crimes Tribunal.
General Sefer Halilovic, 49, is the highest-ranking Muslim officer to be indicted by the court.
He faces charges relating to the mass killing of about 30 Bosnian Croats in the southern village of Grabovica in 1993, but has protested his innocence.
General Halilovic helped to form the Bosnian army when war broke out in Bosnia Hercegovina in 1992, and was its commander until November 1993.
He is currently serving as Refugee and Social Affairs Minister of the Muslim-Croat federation which, together with the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska, makes up post-war Bosnia.
After being escorted to Sarajevo airport by UN and Bosnian police, he took off in a small aircraft at about 0615 GMT.
Mr Halilovic is among 15 suspects from the Muslim-Croat federation who are being sought by the tribunal, most of them Bosnian or Croat generals.
Local media have reported that nine of the indictees are about to hand themselves over to the tribunal, and that those who do not go voluntarily are likely to be arrested.
Bosnia's Muslims and Croats began the war in 1992 as allies, but fought a war in 1993. In 1994 they joined together in a federation.
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