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Milosevic Handover Should Proceed Within Framework of Law: Kostunica
Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica reiterated Wednesday that the federal republic must go about its cooperation with The Hague tribunal within the framework of law.
He was clearly referring to the possible extradition of his predecessor Slobodan Milosevic, sought by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague for his role in the Bosnia war and the war in Kosovo.
Meeting with delegates of Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia, he stressed that the decree adopted by the federal government on cooperating with The Hague tribunal should not take effect until the Constitutional Court gives its ruling.
President of the Constitutional Court Milovan Buzadzic announced that the Court would start deliberation on whether the government's decree on its cooperation with The Hague tribunal is unconstitutional, the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug reported.
Meanwhile, many political groups and legal experts appealed to the Constitutional Court, demanding that the decree be annulled. These included the Socialist Party of Serbia, League of Yugoslav Patriots and 51 professors from the Law School of Belgrade University and the seven attorneys of Milosevic.
Milosevic has been in prison since April 1 while allegations of abuse of power and corruption are investigated.
The Yugoslav federal government adopted last Saturday an administrative decree with legal force providing for cooperation with the tribunal, thus clearing the way for Milosevic's handover.
Justice Minister Momcilo Grubac on Monday presented Belgrade District Court with a demand from the U.N. tribunal to extradite Milosevic, starting the legal procedures for implementing the government's administrative decree.
Kostunica insisted earlier that Yugoslav citizens accused by The Hague tribunal of war crimes should be tried by local court, but acknowledged that he had to give in to pressures from the United States and many leaders within his ruling coalition, saying he belongs to the lonely minority among the 18-party coalition.
Washington has conditioned its participation in a crucial donor conference on Yugoslav cooperation with the U.N. tribunal. The conference, scheduled for Friday in Brussels, was meant to raise the badly needed money to rebuild the war-torn country.
Yugoslavia risks losing the badly needed foreign aid if it fails to cooperate with the tribunal, and efforts to secure that aid have intensified ahead of the donor conference.
Demonstrators Continues Thousands of supporters of the former Yugoslavian leader Slobodan Milosevic continued their demonstration here Wednesday night to protest the federal decree to extradite him to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
During the demonstration, which was organized by the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), people held banners with slogans such as " Free Milosevic" and "No Extradition of Yugoslav Citizens to the Hague Tribunal."
Later, in front of the parliament and government buildings of Serbia, the protesters handed over to government representatives their requests for releasing Milosevic and abolishing the extradition decree, which was passed last Saturday by the Yugoslav government.
The decree on extradition has paved the way for transferring Milosevic to the tribunal.
On Tuesday, Zoran Djindjic, prime minister of Serbia, said that Milosevic could be handed over to The Hague on Friday in accordance with the simplified legal procedures.
The move has met with great opposition from the SPS which is chaired by Milosevic.
Milosevic, who has been in jail since April 1 on charges of corruption and abuse of power, is expected to attend a hearing held by the Belgrade District Court on Wednesday.
Yugoslavia has been under intense Western pressure, particularly from the United States, to agree to hand over Milosevic to the tribunal before an international donors' conference scheduled for Friday.
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