The Chief Prosecutor in the UN tribunal for war crimes has asked Serbian authorities to probe into how Ratko Mladic and another suspect were able to evade arrest and who helped them to do so.

Serge Brammertz, prosecotur for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia made the statement as he visited Serbia, ahead of delivering a report to the UN Security Council on Serbia’s compliance with the war crimes trial.

Serbia, whose acceptance into the EU is thought to hinge heavily with their compliance with the Hague tribunal, is hopeful of a positive report after the capture of Bosnian Serb army commander Mladic and former Croatian Serb rebel leader Goran Hadzic earlier this year, the last two fugitives the tribunal wanted.

However, Brammertz has insisted that they investigate how the two were able to avoid capture for so long and who aided them.

Serbian government official, Rasim Ljajic told reporters,

"We will investigate and reconstruct the movement of all war crimes suspects and see who helped them. More or less, Mladic's movements until February 2006 are known ... then, he disappeared.

"Now, we are reconstructing his movements from that period till his capture."

Mladic spent 16 years on the run and Hadzic 7 years. they were beleived to be sheltered by former war time contacts and sections of the Serbian secret service. They now both face heavy jail sentences at the Hague for charges of genocide, crimes againsty humanity and war crimes.