PASSING OF LAW ON COOPERATION WITH ICTY POSTPONED UNTIL MONDAY

BELGRADE, Feb 27 (Hina) - A final decision on a law on cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) will be passed on Monday, speaker of the Yugoslav Assembly's Lower House, Dragoljub Micunovic, told reporters on Wednesday. There are three versions of how cooperation with The Hague should be regulated, Micunovic said. One version says a federal law should be delivered which would envisage the entire cooperation, including extradition of the accused of war crimes. The second option is that a framework for cooperation at a federal level be delivered, and that extradition be handled by authorities at the level of the republic. The third possibility is to work without a law, based on the Tribunal's Statute, as suggested by the Serbian Justice Ministry, Micunovic said. The Montenegrin Socialist National Party leader, Predrag Bulatovic, said his party "was aware there is pressure on Yugoslavia to adopt a law which would stipulate the direct extradition of war crimes suspects", but also that they could vote "only for a version which stipulates the existence of a legal framework at a federal level, while republics would regulate the extradition". Serbian media quote an alleged American warning that Yugoslavia would receive promised economic assistance if at least three persons accused of war crimes are extradited to The Hague by March 31. (hina) np