PM: MOST YU CITIZENS INDICTED BY ICTY TO BE EXTRADITED BY END OF 2002

BELGRADE, Dec 26 (Hina) - Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic on Wednesday expressed belief that the majority of indicted Yugoslav citizens would be extradited to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) by the end of 2002. In an interview to Belgrade's news agency Beta, Djindjic said there were "no mechanical principles" in line with which Serbian citizens would be extradited to the ICTY. There is no list according to which we should send people to The Hague. There is an official list with five indicted persons of whom one is already in The Hague and another list consisting of the names of 15 indictees of whom two or three are already in The Hague, Djindjic said without mentioning any names. The Serbian Prime Minister reminded that each person indicted before the ICTY has an opportunity to voluntarily surrender and after the guarantees of the Serbian government, the person can be released to defend himself in freedom after the preliminary hearing. Should the indictees believe there are no evidence against them, then I see no reason for them not to surrender and lift great pressure off the government and themselves, Djindjic said. Asked about Serbian President Milan Milutinovic, Djindjic said the presidential elections were scheduled for autumn 2002 and should Milutinovic lose the elections, he would become an ordinary citizen indicted by the ICTY. (hina) it