BELGRADE, April 1 (Hina) - It remains uncertain if and when Yugoslav war crimes suspects will be extradited to the Hague-based UN tribunal, Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said on Sunday after a meeting of the DOS ruling
coalition's top officials. The federal government holds a session on Monday to decide on the extraditions, he added.
BELGRADE, April 1 (Hina) - It remains uncertain if and when Yugoslav
war crimes suspects will be extradited to the Hague-based UN
tribunal, Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said on Sunday
after a meeting of the DOS ruling coalition's top officials. The
federal government holds a session on Monday to decide on the
extraditions, he added. #L#
Batic said Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica should state on
Monday if he wanted to choose cooperation with the UN tribunal or if
in a few days Yugoslavia would be brought under international
sanctions again.
The DOS meeting was attended by Batic, Serbia's Prime Minister
Zoran Djindjic, Deputy PM Nebojsa Covic and Interior Minister Dusan
Mihajlovic, Yugoslavia's Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic and
Deputy PM Miroljub Labus, and the president of the federal
parliament's Citizens' Council, Dragoljub Micunovic.
The Sense news agency said yesterday the fact that US State
Secretary Colin Powell would decide about the sanctions after the
Easter holidays did not halt a legal provision, going into effect at
midnight March 31, on the discontinuance of assistance if
conditions for cooperation with the Hague tribunal were not met.
Around US$40 million worth of US assistance will be blocked due to
the Yugoslav government's refusal to extradite war crimes suspects
and open all archives of interest to the tribunal, said Sense. The
US will also withhold all further support to Yugoslavia's bids
before the International Monetary Fund, and the Paris and London
clubs of creditors.
(hina) ha