BELGRADE, April 14 (Hina) - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica said he had never given any guarantees to the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic regarding his hand-over to the Hague-based criminal tribunal for former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) "nor has Milosevic made such a request." In an interview for the Easter three-day issue of Belgrade's Glas paper, Kostunica said that during their meeting of October 5 last year Milosevic had not "directly" raised the issue of his hand-over to the ICTY. Commenting on a draft bill on cooperation between Yugoslavia and the ICTY, Kostunica stressed that the bill did not guarantee automatic hand-over to the ICTY because each case and circumstances of hand-over should be considered by domestic courts first. "If you adopt automatic hand-over, you have entirely abolished sovereignty and are acting as a common police officer for the Hague tribunal," Kostunica s
BELGRADE, April 14 (Hina) - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica
said he had never given any guarantees to the former Yugoslav
president Slobodan Milosevic regarding his hand-over to the Hague-
based criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) "nor has
Milosevic made such a request."
In an interview for the Easter three-day issue of Belgrade's Glas
paper, Kostunica said that during their meeting of October 5 last
year Milosevic had not "directly" raised the issue of his hand-over
to the ICTY.
Commenting on a draft bill on cooperation between Yugoslavia and
the ICTY, Kostunica stressed that the bill did not guarantee
automatic hand-over to the ICTY because each case and circumstances
of hand-over should be considered by domestic courts first.
"If you adopt automatic hand-over, you have entirely abolished
sovereignty and are acting as a common police officer for the Hague
tribunal," Kostunica said.
He criticised the Yugoslav Justice Ministry for forwarding the
draft bill to the Hague tribunal for consideration. "That is our
matter and it must be done here," he added.
The Yugoslav president accused the Montenegrin authorities of
using pressure, threats and inflammatory language, but expressed
confidence the joint federal state would survive.
(hina) rml