They are merely obligated to make an arrest if they come across a known suspect in the course of their routine duties. And few people know for sure exactly where Karadzic and Mladic are holed up. Mladic, apparently still in Belgrade, is rumored to have spent 10 days recently near Budva on Montenegro's coast. Karadzic, who was last seen in public in 1996, is said to be living somewhere between the Bosnian Serb stronghold of Pale and the towns of Foca and Visegrad in eastern Bosnia. Earlier this year, NATO did step up patrols and build more checkpoints in Foca, which is notorious for sheltering war crimes suspects, including one who was fatally shot in January by French peacekeepers trying to arrest him.
Residents say several suspects have since gone into hiding elsewhere.
Some people say the real problem lies not with NATO, but with Balkan leaders reluctant to seize fugitives. The tribunal repeatedly has tangled with Yugoslavia, which doesn't recognize its authority, and with Croatia, which has refused at least 100 times to comply with requests for evidence. Last week, the court formally reported Croatia's government to the Security Council, a move that could lead to sanctions against the former Yugoslav republic. People need to realize that arresting indicted suspects is in everybody's interests.