Bosnians call on Austria to free ex-general

Several dozen prominent Bosnian artists and intellectuals on Wednesday called on Austria to release a former general held there since March on a Serbian war crimes warrant. "By dragging out the procedure, Austria is preventing Jovan Divjak's return and politicises it," theatre producer Haris Pasovic told journalists. "We demand that Jovan Divjak's return to our country be immediately authorised," he said. The artists and intellectuals handed over a letter for the government in Vienna outlining their demand during a rally in front of the Austrian embassy in Sarajevo. "Thanks to this man, we live today in a free city and that's why we want Jovan Divjak to walk the (Sarajevo) streets again," said film director Jasmila Zbanic. The appeal came a week after a similar demand by a group of French intellectuals. Serbian-born Divjak, a key figure of Sarajevo's defence system during the 1992-1995 siege by Bosnian Serb forces, is admired by inhabitants of the Bosnian capital. The 74-year-old was detained in early March at Vienna airport and was released a few days later on a 500,000 euro (703,000 dollar) bail on condition that he remain in Austria and cooperate with the authorities. Serbian judicial officials are investigating his role in a 1992 attack on a retreating Yugoslav army convoy in Sarajevo in which 18 soldiers, according to Belgrade, and six, according to Sarajevo, were killed. He denies the allegations. Divjak's extradition was sought by both Serbia and Bosnia. The latter opened a probe on the attack on the Yugoslav army convoy. Austrian justice is to review the two requests in mid-August, according to the organisers of Wednesday's gathering.