Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, on trial before an international court for war crimes and genocide, says documents exist proving that he made a secret immunity deal during the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict.
In court documents released today, Karadzic asked the court to order prosecutors to disclose any information concerning a deal he said was made with former US peace envoy Richard Holbrooke in a meeting in Belgrade in mid-July 1996.
Mr Holbrooke has repeatedly denied Mr Karadzic's claims of a secret immunity deal since Mr Karadzic was arrested in July after more than a decade on the run.
Mr Karadzic, who is representing himself, has argued that his arrest and upcoming trial is baseless because of the deal.
"The prosecution cannot be allowed to sweep the agreement with Richard Holbrooke under the rug," Mr Karadzic said in the motion at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Mr Karadzic argues that he needs access to any books, documents, photographs and tangible objects in the prosecutor's control that are material to his defence in order to pursue a dismissal of the charges.
He is facing war crimes and genocide charges, including the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica.
A court official in The Hague was unable to indicate when a ruling on his request will be made.
Mr Karadzic has repeatedly claimed that Holbrooke promised him he would not have to face prosecution in The Hague if he agreed to withdraw from public life. He says the deal is relevant to the UN-funded Hague court because it was made on behalf of the United Nations Security Council.
Mr Karadzic says Mr Holbrooke, who forged the Dayton agreement ending the Bosnian war, reneged on the deal and now wants him dead, a claim that the former diplomat has denied repeatedly.
Reuters