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Bush Welcomes Arrest of Former Yugoslav Leader Milosevic
US President George W. Bush on Sunday welcomed the arrest of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and urged that he be tried for "crimes against humanity."
"His arrest represents an important step in bringing to a close the tragic era of his brutal dictatorship. And Milosevic's arrest should be a first step toward trying him for the crimes against humanity with which he is charged," Bush said in a written statement.
Bush said he was pleased by Yugoslavia's cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and called on Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica to "continue this cooperation and see that Milosevic is likewise brought to justice."
The arrest of Milosevic came under persistent U.S. threat to suspend 50 million dollars of economic aid to Yugoslavia if the Yugoslav government did not cooperate with the U.S. demand.
Kostunica has refused to extradite Milosevic to the Hague, insisting Milosevic should be tried in Yugoslavia for corruption and other alleged crimes instead of war crimes.
But the Yugoslav government clearly hopes that the arrest of Milosevic will lead U.S. to certify that it has met conditions for the aid from the United States.
U.S. Congress has passed a law saying no non-humanitarian US funds should go to Belgrade after March 31 unless it is certified as passing a series of democracy tests, including cooperating with a tribunal in the Hague that wants to try Milosevic for alleged war crimes.
Milosevic May Remain in Custody for 30 DaysFormer Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been remanded and he will remain in custody for 30 days, said the local radio B92 Sunday.
Milosevic's lawyer Toma Fila said after a hearing Sunday afternoon that the investigative magistrate had ordered Milosevic to be detained pending the probe into the charges of abuse of power as well as diverting funds for personal and political profit.
Fila said the hearing would be resumed Tuesday, and he expected Milosevic would be freed from custody after an appeal.
Milosevic is now being kept in a room "with special conditions and hot water," he said "Milosevic has the right of daily visits."
Fila said Milosevic's wife and daughter had both visited him.
He added that the ex-president was in good health, though he was rather tired and had high blood pressure.
Serbian Minister of Justice Vladan Batic noted that Milosevic has not yet been formally indicted.
Batic added that Milosevic's detention could be extended for up to six months.
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