U.N. judges have ruled that an immunity deal Radovan Karadzic claims he made with U.S. peace envoy Richard Holbrooke would be invalid, and would not prevent the former Bosnian Serb leader's trial on genocide charges, Associated Press reported. Holbrooke denies Karadzic's claim that the two cut a deal in 1996 for the wartime Bosnian Serb leader to relinquish power in return for immunity from prosecution at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal. In a ruling published Thursday, the judges said such a deal «would be invalid under international law.» Prosecutors say that even if the pact existed, it would have no legal weight at the court. The ruling «confirms our position,» said prosecution spokeswoman Olga Kavran. Karadzic is accused of directing Serb atrocities in the 1992-95 Bosnian war, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and the deadly shelling and sniping campaign during the siege of the capital, Sarajevo. Despite his claim of immunity, Karadzic went to great lengths to avoid arrest during 13 years on the run. When Serb security forces captured him last July on a Belgrade bus, he was disguised as a bearded new age guru and living under the assumed name of Dr. Dragan Dabic. It was not clear if Karadzic would appeal. He is defending himself against 11 charges of genocide, murder, torture and persecution, in a trial expected to start next year.
