Serbia's prime minister lashed out Friday at the UN war crimes court that tried radical Serb leader Vojislav Seselj, accusing it of being "political" and failing to reconcile the Balkans.
Ultranationalist Seselj was acquitted Thursday on nine charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity arising from the 1990s Balkan conflicts after "what was without a shadow of a doubt a political trial", Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters.
"Many verdicts have actually shown that this tribunal acted mainly as a political court, not a legal institution," he said of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Many Serbs feel the court has unfairly targeted them in its quest to bring alleged Balkan war criminals to justice.
Vucic said reconciliation had been one of the main goals of the court but "there is no doubt that The Hague tribunal has not fulfilled this goal".
The court's surprise acquittal of Seselj, formerly a staunch ally of Vucic, sent shock waves though the Balkans -- especially Croatia and Bosnia.
Prosecutors had alleged Seselj was behind the murder of large numbers of Croat, Muslim and other non-Serb civilians, as well as the forced deportation of "tens of thousands" from parts of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia in the 1990s wars.
Although he criticised his trial, Vucic said he would "strongly oppose" Seselj's politics, which "push Serbia into the past".
Seselj, leader of the Serbian Radical Party, plans to stand in a general election later this month.