Croat PM: General could surrender

Racan agreed to hand over the suspects to The Hague

ZAGREB, Croatia -- A Croatian army general believed to have been indicted for war crimes is ready to surrender, PM Ivica Racan says.

The general is one of two Croat citizens to be indicted by the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal. Neither has been publicly named.

Racan told reporters on Monday that one suspect -- "if he's indicted" -- was ready to appear before the court voluntarily, Associated Press reported.

One general met with President Stipe Mesic, the army's supreme commander, late on Sunday.

Racan did not mention the other suspect.

PROFILE Ivica Racan

Racan’s government agreed last week to extradite Croat suspects to The Hague – a move which prompted four of his ministers to resign in protest.

As many Croats view the generals as war heroes, mass demonstrations by war veterans are expected.

Racan said his government "disagrees" with some aspects of the indictments, but will "defend our views in The Hague courtroom, not through conflict with the court and the world," Associated Press reported.

Racan did not reveal the exact charges, but the two have been indicted by the tribunal for wartime atrocities against the Serbs.

The indictments are sealed, meaning they can be made public only when the suspects are arrested and transferred to The Hague.

State-run media, citing unidentified government sources, have said the indictments stem from the Croatian army's 1993 and 1995 offensives to regain land seized by the Serbs during the 1991 war.

Hundreds of Serbs were slain during and after the actions, and the tribunal has been investigating those crimes for years.