In an interview with ANP news agency, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic says the Dutch soldiers in Bosnia in 1995 did their best under difficult circumstances.

He goes on to say that it was out of pure necessity that the Bosnian Serb forces attacked the Muslims in Bosnia. Mr Karadzic maintains the Muslims were continually launching attacks, after which they retreated into safe areas such as Srebrenica, a UN enclave guarded by Dutch forces.

Mr Karadzic is standing trial before the Yugoslavia tribunal in The Hague. He faces charges including genocide committed against thousands of Bosnian Muslims.

photo: Radovan Karadzic (ANP archive)