Election in Serbia may cripple hunt for Gen. Ratko Mladic

"We have to remember that Mladic is very well-connected and beloved among a great many Serbs," Ingrao added. "Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone has the leverage to get the Serbian special forces to do anything."

Boris Tadic, Serbia's pro-Western president, has complained that Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has blocked efforts to arrest war crimes fugitives, according to diplomats.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists, told the AP that Tadic pledged to immediately arrest Mladic if his coalition manages to retain power.

But with Nikolic expected to exert major influence in a new government with Kostunica, Serbia more likely will become "a safe house for The Hague suspects," Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said.

Justice delayed is justice denied, and every day that Mladic eludes capture "sends a terrible message to victims" of Milosevic's 1990s ethnic cleansing campaigns, said Whiting, the former tribunal prosecutor.

It also risks emboldening a new generation of war criminals, he warned.

"This happened in Europe's backyard. But the international community is moving on to other things and not keeping up the pressure," Whiting said. "What message does that send to leaders around the world who are wanted for war crimes in places like Sudan or Uganda?"

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Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report.

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