NATO Enters Hunt For Radovan Karadzic
FREDRICK WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: After years of lying low, suddenly NATO has entered the hunt for Radovan Karadzic. As we reported, NATO troops raided a village in Bosnia, but failed to find the man blamed for thousands of deaths during Bosnia's civil war. The news is not the failure, but the fact that NATO tried. For more on this story, we turn to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, who is now in London. Hi there, Christiane.</s>CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, to put this in some perspective, before Osama bin Laden was the world's most wanted man, Radovan Karadzic was one of the most internationally renowned and wanted men for his role, allegedly, in the wars in Bosnia, where he's been indicted twice for crimes against humanity and genocide. For 6 years or so, a 60,000-strong U.S.-led NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia simply didn't go after him. But today, for the first time in six years, there was a public announcement that NATO was now getting serious.</s>DARYL MORRELL, SFOR SPOKESMAN: Multinational SFOR forces conducted an operation to detain Radovan Karadzic near the town of Chelibichi in the Republic of Serbska. Karadzic was not found at this location. However, this operation demonstrates SFOR's capabilities and resolve to act and apprehending by force, if necessary, persons indicted for war crimes. Though he was not found this time, they did seize many weapons.</s>AMANPOUR: Although Karadzic wasn't found this time, SFOR did sieze many weapons.</s>MORRELL: The SFOR multinational forces found and seized three weapons caches during this operation. The caches were located in the several of the buildings in the compound near Chelibichi. The weapons siezed include significant quantities of anti-tank rockets, grenades, mortar rounds, automatic machine guns and anti-personnel mines and a sizable quantity of large caliber ammunition.</s>AMANPOUR: Despite the failure to capture Karadzic, since 1997, peacekeepers have arrested 23 people who've been indicted by the war crimes tribunal. But the most glaring exceptions have been Karadzic and his former military commander, Radcom Ladzic (ph). Both have been indicted twice on numerous charges, including crimes against humanity and genocide during the war in Bosnia, the siege of Sarajevo and especially the massacres after the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995, where Bosnian Serb forces are accused of slaughtering thousands of Muslim men and boys. Karadzic and Ladzic have been on the run for six years. Carla Delponte, the chief prosecutor of the war crimes tribunal, has repeatedly tried to persuade the Bosnian Serb and Yugoslav governments to turn them over. And she has also tried to get reluctant leaders, from Washington to western Europe to order their NATO forces to hunt down the two men. With the trial of the former Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic, now underway at the tribunal, Delponte has made another high profile visit to the Bosnian Serb government, again calling for its cooperation in turning over Karadzic. Ladzic is thought to be hiding in Belgrade. Delponte says with the full knowledge and protection of the Yugoslav authorities. For years, NATO leaders were concerned about taking casualties during any attempt to arrest Karadzic and Ladzic, who are thought to be surrounded by loyal bodyguards. Spokesmen say there were no injuries during the attempt to get Karadzic, and they will not reveal when or whether they'll try again. But it does appear that, for the first time in six years, they he may be getting serious about trying.</s>WHITFIELD: Well, Christiane, is it fair to say that, given the cache of weapons that were found in this village, even though he may have eluded authorities right now -- Karadzic may have eluded authorities right now -- is it safe to say that authorities feel that because of the cache of weapons -- grenades, missiles, et cetera -- that they might at least be very close?</s>AMANPOUR: Well, I think that's probably fair to say, and, of course, they said that they had active intelligence that he was hiding in a compound there. Over the years, it's been suggested that he has been moving around that part of Bonia, which is quite difficult terrain to navigate, and has also been hiding out in places which have been heavily armed and heavily guarded. So, perhaps indeed, that is a indication, and, certainly, this being the first time, at least in such a public manner, that NATO has tried to go after him, it sends a distinct very signal now to Radovan Karadzic that the days of hiding and running may be numbered.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks very much. Christiane Amanpour reporting from London this afternoon.