Britain denies Bosnian ex-leader's detention is political

LONDON — Britain denied Friday that the arrest of former Bosnian leader Ejup Ganic was politically motivated, as thousands of war veterans protested in Sarajevo over his detention.Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant said the judicial authorities were simply carrying out their duties.Ganic himself meanwhile faced another six days in a London jail pending his possible extradition to Serbia on war crimes charges.Ganic, 64, is being held in Wandsworth Prison in south London on a provisional arrest warrant so Serbian authorities can seek his extradition to stand trial there.On Friday his bail application at London's High Court was adjourned, which meant he faced at least another six days in jail.Judges John Laws and Richard McCombe adjourned the bail application to give the Serbian authorities more time to come up with evidence to support their accusations that Ganic was a war criminal."I cannot stress enough that the arrest of Doctor Ganic in no way amounts to a diplomatic or political statement by the British government, or any point of view by the British government on past events in the western Balkans," Bryant said."The judicial authorities, which are wholly independent of government, are carrying out their independent legal functions in accordance with the law."Britain valued its relationship with Bosnia-Herzegovina and supported Sarajevo's aspirations for European Union membership, he added."The UK takes its obligations towards foreign nationals in detention extremely seriously. We have been looking into the concerns urgently and in detail," Bryant added."We are continuing to look into the case and are working closely with the Bosnian authorities."In Sarajevo meanwhile, around 2,500 people demonstrated outside the British embassy in protest at Ganic's arrest and calling for his release, before marching on the Serbian embassy, the Srna agency reported.Avdo Hebib, the leader of an association of war veterans, denounced Serbia's legal move against Ganic as a continuation of its aggression against Bosnia.S

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