Doctors at a Sarajevo hospital said on 18 September that Alija Izetbegovic, who led Bosnian Muslims during the 1992-95 conflict, is in critical condition and may undergo surgery, Reuters reported.

He entered the hospital the previous week with several broken ribs and head and neck concussions following a fall. Izetbegovic also suffers from complications including internal bleeding that arose as a result of those injuries, as well as a long-standing heart condition that made doctors reluctant to operate.

Meanwhile in Stockholm, former Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic, who is serving a sentence in a Swedish prison for war crimes, was recently admitted to a hospital. Doctors described her condition as not serious.

(RFE/RL 19.ix.03)