The Serbs of Bosnia-Herzegovina, also known as Europe's "most unstable country" have given a convicted war criminal released from jail the welcome of a hero.
Singing Serb national songs and waving flags, more than 2,000 people welcomed Momcilo Krajisnik as a national hero upon his return to Bosnia on Augstust 30 after being granted early release from a British prison where he had served two thirds of his 20-year sentence.
Krajisnik, 68, was arrested in 2000 and convicted by the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, of persecuting and forcibly expelling non-Serbs during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia. His initial 27-year sentence was reduced on appeal.
The former Bosnian Serb Parliament speaker was granted early release by the tribunal's president, Theodor Meron, in July.
Krajisnik landed Friday evening in the Bosnian Serb city of Banja Luka and a government helicopter flew him home to his wartime stronghold of Pale, near Sarajevo.
During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, forces of the battled those of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Herzeg-Bosnia, who were led and supplied by Serbia and Croatia respectively.
Even though war casualty figures vary widely, it is generally thought that at least 140,000 civilians died during the 3 year war, most of them in Bosnian and Croat held territories
Croatia on July 1 became the EU's 28th member and Serbia is also hoping to eventually join the block.