Annan Visits Chief War Crimes Prosecutor

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan met in Belgrade with the chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor, a gesture apparently aimed at stepping up pressure on Yugoslav officials to arrest suspects wanted by The Hague tribunal.

Carla Del Ponte has complained repeatedly that Yugoslavia has failed to apprehend key suspects, including the Bosnian Serb wartime army commander, Gen. Ratko Mladic.

“There is no political will to arrest him,” Del Ponte said after meeting Annan. She said that she had also met with the Yugoslav army leader Gen. Branko Krga, but won no pledge that Mladic will be arrested.