Mladic is a simple issue because we know where he is, we know who is protecting him

Carla Del Ponte

On Wednesday, under growing international pressure, the authorities gave them three days to surrender in return for guarantees of pre-trial release.

"We are now expecting first results from the law. We hope that most of the fugitives will voluntarily surrender," Mrs Del Ponte said.

However, she also criticised the new legislation, saying it was in breach of international law because it only applied to people who have already been publicly indicted and allowed Yugoslav courts to deal with all other cases.

She said all cases should go to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Fugitive 'protected'

In the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on Wednesday, Mrs Del Ponte said she was going to Belgrade "to ask for the arrest and transfer of Mladic".

Ratko Mladic was Radovan Karadzic's army commander

Mr Mladic is believed to be hiding in Belgrade and Mrs Del Ponte has accused the Yugoslav military authorities of protecting him.

He is wanted in connection with the massacre of up to 8,000 people in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995.

"Mladic is a simple issue because we know where he is, we know who is protecting him," she said.

"In our opinion it is just a political decision to have him arrested and transferred. It could happen today."

Belgrade has denied knowing Mr Mladic's whereabouts.

On Thursday, Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic said: "I have no information that Ratko Mladic is in the territory of Yugoslavia."

Wanted Yugoslav suspects

Vladimir Kovacevic, Milan Zec, Milan Milutinovic, Dragoljub Ojdanic, Nikola Sainovic, Sredoje Lukic, Milan Lukic, Miroslav Radic, Milan Mrksic, Veselin Sljivancanin

Wanted non-Yugoslav suspects

Stojan Zupljanin, Ranko Cesic, Savo Todovic, Gojko Jankovic, Mitar Rasevic, Radovan Stankovic, Dragan Zelenovic, Zeljko Mejakic, Vinko Pandurevic, Momcilo Gruban, Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic, Milan Martic

The wanted list includes Bosnian Serb wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic, who is believed to move between eastern Bosnia and the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro.

Others include Nikola Sainovic, the deputy prime minister under former President Slobodan Milosevic; General Dragoljub Ojdanic, the former Yugoslav army commander and Serbian President Milan Milutinovic.

Milosevic was extradited last year and is now on trial for alleged atrocities carried out during wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

One of the most wanted Serbian war crimes suspects - former Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic - died on Sunday of self-inflicted wounds in Belgrade.

After meeting Yugoslav Justice Minister Savo Markovic, Mrs Del Ponte said that Mladic was "obviously" a topic of their discussion.

Mr Markovic said he urged Mrs Del Ponte to speed up investigations against ethnic Albanians, Bosnians and Croats for alleged crimes against Serbs.