MILOSEVIC & 4 YU OFFICIALS ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

THE HAGUE, May 27 (Hina) - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague on Thursday unsealed an indictment against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and another four senior Yugoslav officials for crimes against humanity the Serb forces committed against Kosovo Albanians. The joint indictment has been issued against Milosevic, Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, Yugoslav Deputy Premier Nikola Sajnovic, Yugoslav army chief-of-staff Dragoljub Ojdanic, and Serb Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic, prosecutor Louise Arbour told reporters. She explained Milosevic and the other four officials were accused of crimes against humanity, specifically killings, deportations, and expulsions, and violations of the law and customs of war committed in Kosovo. The indictment was confirmed by an ICTY judge on May 24, but could not be issued until noon May 27 for security reasons, Arbour said. She said the indictment includes international arrest warrants. This is the first indictment against a state president who is in office. The Hague tribunal did not accuse the Yugoslav President for crimes committed in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. An arrest warrant for Milosevic should be submitted by the tribunal to Yugoslavia's Embassy in The Hague. Arbour has been banned by Belgrade authorities from entering Kosovo. (hina) ha