Karadzic to share daily life with former arch foes

In the coming months, perhaps years, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic will share his day-to-day life in detention with former enemies against whom he once waged a bloody war.

Arrested on Monday after nearly 13 years on the run, the 63-year-old is expected to be transferred within days to the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

He will be held in a detention facility in a seaside suburb of the Dutch city.

Sharing the unit will be several erstwhile brothers in arms but also a number of Karadzic's fiercest former foes.

They include former Bosnian Muslim general Rasim Delic, standing trial for war crimes against members of the Serb population in whose name Karadzic committed the alleged crimes that now see him accused of genocide.

Another former nemesis with whom he will share accommodation is general Ante Gotovina: a hero of the Croatian war and fierce opponent of the project for the expansion of Serbia pursued by Karadzic under the political stewardship of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.

Though the scale of the anticipation inside the unit is hidden from the world behind high walls, a welcoming party has started gathering outside the two massive entrance gates.

Journalists, photographers and camera operators have already taken up positions at the facility, hoping for a glimpse of Karadzic when he is eventually transferred.

Karadzic's name is associated with two of the most horrific episodes of Bosnia's 1992-95 war: the siege of Sarajevo which killed more than 10,000 people, and the Srebrenica massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

Several of his future jailhouse companions have also been implicated in these events, labeled the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II.

They include seven military officers and top officials of the self-declared Serb state in Bosnia that was presided over by Karadzic.

Four among these, Vujadin Popovic, Ljubisa Beara, Drago Nikolic et Vinko Pandurevic are facing genocide charges for their alleged role in the Srebrenica massacre.

In a separate case, former Bosnian Serb general Zdravko Tolimir also stands accused of genocide in Srebrenica, while the ultra-nationalist Serb Vojislav Seselj is charged with the persecution of civilians in Sarajevo.

Karadzic will have just missed Naser Oric, the Bosnian Muslim commander of Srebrenica who is considered a hero by many back home for his defence of the enclave against Serb forces.

He was acquitted on appeal in July.

Also absent will be Karadzic's main ally, former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, wanted for the Srebrenica massacre, and still on the run.

The detention unit, which is not a prison but merely a holding quarters for suspected criminals, currently houses 37 individuals.

It allows inmates a daily dose of fresh air and exercise, medical care, occupational therapy, spiritual guidance, conditions for the preparation of their defence, computer facilities and sporting activities.

Detainees have access to satellite television and newspapers from back home.

Locked up overnight, the detainees spend part of the day interacting with others -- if not attending court.

Residents of different floors participate in communal activities like English language classes or religious services.

They may receive visits from family or friends and consult their lawyers.

Having spent much of their adult lives in warring camps, the men are not separated according to ethnicity, nationality, religion or class.

(Agencies)