BELGRADE: UNCERTAINTY RISES REGARDING COOPERATION WITH HAGUE LAW

BELGRADE, June 20 (Hina) - Uncertainty is increasing in Belgrade in connection with the announced adoption of a law on Yugoslavia's cooperation with UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The coalition partners on the federal level, Serbia's DOS and Montenegro's Socialist National Party (SNP), have not reached an agreement yet. The Podgorica-based SNP has said several times it will vote against the law which envisages the extradition of Yugoslav citizens to the Hague tribunal. In Belgrade, the DOS coalition is unsuccessful in attempts to find a way to make the federal parliament pass the law at Thursday's session. Late on Tuesday, DOS leaders convened for a meeting although no statements were made afterwards. Only Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica did not attend. Everything concerning the results of the meeting is based on "reliable sources." These say the DOS leaders discussed the possible withdrawal of the bill from parliamentary procedure, and the replacement of the Yugoslav military chief-of-staff, General Nebojsa Pavkovic. The DOS leaders will probably reconvene today upon Kostunica's return from Hungary. All "reliable sources" agree on one point - DOS will withdraw the bill from procedure. Without SNP's support in parliament, DOS does not have the majority required for the adoption of the law. It is assumed that non- adoption would be tantamount to telling the international community that Yugoslavia does not wish to cooperate with the Hague war crimes tribunal and meet assumed obligations. The coalition's latest suggestions are therefore aimed at voting in favour of the law in Serbia's parliament, where it holds the two-third majority. According to DOS officials who also hold state offices, failure to adopt the law in the federal parliament, namely its "transfer" to a republic parliament, "expedites the disappearance" of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Most federal ministers from DOS ranks have announced resignations unless all obligations to the Hague tribunal were met, namely unless the cooperation law was adopted and former President Slobodan Milosevic was extradited. They maintain the DOS-SNP rift clearly shows the joint state comprising Serbia and Montenegro does not exist and that their staying in office is pointless. (hina) ha sb