THE HAGUE, Netherlands, December 18, SPA -- U.N. judges have ruled that an immunity deal Radovan Karadzic claims he made with U.S. peace envoy Richard Holbrooke would be invalid, and wouldnot prevent the former Bosnian Serb leader's trial ongenocide charges, Associated Press reported. Holbrooke denies Karadzic's claim that the two cut a dealin 1996 for the wartime Bosnian Serb leader to relinquishpower in return for immunity from prosecution at theYugoslav war crimes tribunal. In a ruling published Thursday, the judges said such adeal «would be invalid under international law.» Prosecutors say that even if the pact existed, it wouldhave no legal weight at the court. The ruling «confirms our position,» said prosecutionspokeswoman Olga Kavran. Karadzic is accused of directing Serb atrocities in the1992-95 Bosnian war, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacreof 8,000 Muslim men and the deadly shelling and snipingcampaign during the siege of the capital, Sarajevo. Despite his claim of immunity, Karadzic went to greatlengths to avoid arrest during 13 years on the run. When Serb security forces captured him last July on aBelgrade bus, he was disguised as a bearded new age guruand living under the assumed name of Dr. Dragan Dabic. It was not clear if Karadzic would appeal. He is defendinghimself against 11 charges of genocide, murder, torture andpersecution, in a trial expected to start next year.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/617393