BELGRADE, Feb 16 (Hina) - Serbian President Milan Milutinovic has been considering recently the possibility of voluntary surrender to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, the Belgrade
daily Danas reports in its weekend issue, quoting Serbian government sources. Along with Slobodan Milosevic, Vlajko Stoiljkovic, Nikola Sainovic and Dragoljub Ojdanic, Milutinovic has been accused of war crimes committed in Kosovo in 1999. According to Danas, Milutinovic is counting on being allowed to defend himself in freedom and is already gathering documentation and working on some sort of a defence strategy. The Serbian government, the daily writes, is opposing such a decision as it means an early presidential election, which is unfavourable for the ruling Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition, given disputes between Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia and
BELGRADE, Feb 16 (Hina) - Serbian President Milan Milutinovic has
been considering recently the possibility of voluntary surrender
to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) in The Hague, the Belgrade daily Danas reports in its weekend
issue, quoting Serbian government sources.
Along with Slobodan Milosevic, Vlajko Stoiljkovic, Nikola Sainovic
and Dragoljub Ojdanic, Milutinovic has been accused of war crimes
committed in Kosovo in 1999.
According to Danas, Milutinovic is counting on being allowed to
defend himself in freedom and is already gathering documentation
and working on some sort of a defence strategy.
The Serbian government, the daily writes, is opposing such a
decision as it means an early presidential election, which is
unfavourable for the ruling Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS)
coalition, given disputes between Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic
Party of Serbia and the Democratic Party of Zoran Djindjic.
Milutinovic's mandate expires at the end of the year.
Contrary to the claim of the unnamed government source, Serbian
Premier Zoran Djindjic said yesterday in Kragujevac, where he
attended an event marking the Serbian Statehood Day, that "as long
as he is the country's president, Milutinovic enjoys immunity and
there can be no bargaining about it".
(hina) np sb