SERBIA STATE SECURITY DEPUTY HEAD TENDERS RESIGNATION

BELGRADE, Nov 14 (Hina) - The deputy head of Serbia's state security, Zoran Mijatovic, has tendered his resignation dissatisfied with Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic's statement in connection with a mutiny of the republic's special police. "Incorrect and tendentious" is how Mijatovic described Mihajlovic's claim that a misunderstanding and professional omissions occurred in last week's arrest and extradition of brothers Nenad and Predrag Banovic to the Hague war crimes tribunal. Mijatovic told the Beta news agency on Wednesday Mihajlovic and several other political leaders were "involved in political manipulation" but did not elaborate. Interior Minister Mihajlovic tendered his resignation to Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic yesterday. His resignation had been demanded by the rebelling special police units, known as the Red Berets, who blocked several important roads around Belgrade and in northern Serbia in the past four days. The units also demand passing a law on cooperation between Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal (ICTY) for the former Yugoslavia, and that the arrests of Serbs, indicted by the ICTY, be discontinued. The "berets" said they were hoaxed regarding the arrest of the Banovic brothers, who have been accused of crimes in the Keraterm detention near Prijedor in north-western Bosnia in 1992. They also believe they themselves may be arrested and extradited to The Hague as well because of their activities in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Serbia's government maintains Mihajlovic's resignation should be turned down. (hina) ha