Iran anger over remarks by UK's Hague

Remarks made by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague have angered Tehran. Britain says Iran is helping Syria crush protestsIran says the comments are "completely unfounded"The British Foreign Office stands by the remarks

(CNN) -- Iran took Britain to task Thursday over what it says were "unfounded" remarks by the United Kingdom's top diplomat on Tehran's alleged role in helping stifle protests in strife-torn Syria.

The Foreign Ministry summoned Britain's charge d'affaires, Jane Marriott, over the remarks by Foreign Secretary William Hague, state-run Press TV said. Marriott said she convey Iran's protests to the British government.

Hague told the House of Commons on Tuesday that Iran "is combining brutal suppression of opposition leaders at home with the provision of equipment and technical advice to help the Syrian regime crush protests in Syria."

"This is unacceptable, and compounds our concern about Iran's behavior and its intentions over its nuclear program," he said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said the British government "is not qualified to make such comments about other countries because of (its) interfering measures and destructive role in the region's developments."

It called the comments "completely unfounded and based on a series of lies."

Britain's Foreign Office confirmed the summoning and said the charge d'affaires in Tehran "was asked to explain recent UK statements on Iran, including on Iran's role supporting the Syrian regime in crushing protests."

It emphasized that it "stands by its statements" and has raised the issue in London with the Iranian charge d'affaires.

"We remain extremely concerned by the Iranian government's repression of its own people and its support for violent elements in the region. We have seen credible information suggesting Iran is helping Syria with the suppression of protests there, including through the provision of expertise and equipment."

It also raised another issue, the contention that Iran has provided weaponry to Taliban militants.

"We also note that Iran has provided no response to clear evidence of its provision of arms to the Taliban -- a matter we have referred to the U.N. for investigation," the Foreign Office said.

CNN

Mladic faces Hague court on Bosnia genocide charges (Reuters)

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Ratko Mladic will face his judges at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Friday to answer charges of genocide in the Bosnia war.

The former Bosnian Serb Army commander, once a burly and intimidating figure on the battlefield, is now in frail health, looking much older than his 69 years.

Mladic faces the special court's gravest charge, that of genocide for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim males and for the 43-month siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995 in which some 12,000 were killed.

He was arrested last week in a Serbian village and extradited by Serbia Tuesday, to become the tribunal's biggest case. His capture came nearly 16 years after The Hague court issued its indictment against him.

A career soldier, Mladic was branded "the butcher of the Balkans" in the late 1990s for a ruthless campaign to seize and "ethnically cleanse" territory for Serbs following the breakup of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav federation of six republics.

Serb nationalists believe Mladic defended the nation and did no worse than Croat or Bosnian Muslim army commanders, as the federation was torn apart in five years of conflict that claimed some 130,000 lives, destroying towns and villages.

Hague chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz said Mladic had used his power to commit brutal atrocities and must answer for it.

The International Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, set up in 1993, expects to wind up its work by 2014. It has issued 161 indictments and has now accounted for all but one fugitive.

Serbs say the fact that two-thirds of them were Serbian is proof of the court's bias. Hague prosecutors say it is a reflection of which side carried out the biggest war crimes.

HOSPITAL BED

Mladic was spending the night in a prison hospital bed under medical supervision, his lawyer in The Hague said.

"He has not had proper health care for years and his condition is not good," said Aleksandar Aleksic, a prominent Belgrade lawyer appointed by the tribunal Thursday to represent Mladic, whom he met the same day.

The tribunal said medical supervision for a newly arrived detainee was normal routine and in no way implied that Mladic might not make his scheduled appearance in court.

As reported in Serbian media following his capture, Mladic has partially lost the use of one hand due to a stroke suffered years ago.

But Alexsic confirmed the description given by tribunal officials and diplomats who met the general on his arrival, of a man who appears frail but mentally capable and responsive, and was cooperative and talkative.

He has a room to himself with a small outdoor yard where he can walk and has been making phone calls to his family, he said.

"I am going to ask tomorrow that he be given additional medical tests," Aleksic told Reuters.

Mladic will have an opportunity at his initial hearing to talk in public about his health and about conditions in detention, the lawyer added.

Serbian media reports say Mladic is unlikely to enter a plea Friday. Under the rules of the war crimes tribunal, he can defer that step for 30 days, a court spokeswoman confirmed.

For most of his years at large, Mladic managed to live discreetly but safely in Belgrade, relying on loyal supporters who consider him a war hero, not a war criminal.

But as pressure mounted on Serbia to arrest and extradite him, or watch its bid for European Union membership wither, Mladic's network of support apparently dwindled and he was forced to go every deeper underground to avoid capture.

A Belgrade-based lawyer who failed to prevent the general's extradition on grounds of ill health said Thursday that Mladic was treated for cancer in 2009.

Serb Justice Minister Snezana Malovic and Serbian deputy war crimes prosecutor Bruno Vekaric dismissed the claim. A tribunal spokeswoman said the court does not comment on the health of defendants, unless they expressly raise the issue.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

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