Belgrade The Serb 
who nearly killed a schoolmate in the United States, then skipped bail to flee home, could be tried in Serbia, Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said in an interview released Friday.
"We're discussing this issue," she said in an interview with the Vecernje Novosti daily.
But the US, already outraged over the charged man's escape with official aid from Serbia, gave no hint of easing the pressure for his return.
Already strained relations between Washington and Belgrade were further soured when Miladin Kovacevic, 21, fled US justice in June with the help of a Serbian diplomat.
Kovacevic, a basketball player, had nearly beaten a fellow student of Binghamton University in New York to death in a bar brawl in May.
He was arrested on charges which could lead to a long-term sentence, but released on 100,000-dollar bail, part of which was posted by the Serbian consulate - which then issued him emergency travelling documents to replace confiscated passport.
Kovacevic now trains with a local club in Serbia and has flatly refused to even discuss a plea offered by US prosecutors.
Serbian laws do not allow the extradition of nationals, but, while he could be tried at home for the beating in the US, Belgrade did not receive any evidence which could lead to Kovacevic's arrest, Malovic said.
"Serbian authorities have no evidence at their disposal to start proceedings against Kovacevic," she said.
Washington has warned Belgrade that Kovacevic must return to face trial and some leaders even called for sanctions - but Serbia insists it has no means to deliver him.
Malovic said the two countries were "talking" about Kovacevic.
While Kovacevic remains free, the diplomat who helped him flee the US was brought in and ordered to serve a 30-day detention on Thursday, local reports said.
Vice-consul Igor Milosevic faces criminal charges for abuse of authority because he issued the provisional passport to Kovacevic.
Milosevic dismissed the accusations, saying he was unaware that Kovacevic's original passport had been seized.
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