GEN - Milosevic may face death penalty

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ET - Milosevic may face the death penalty By Alex Todorovic in Belgrade

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC may face capital charges, Dusan Mihajlovic, Serbia's Interior Minister, said yesterday.

He could be accused of ordering the botched assassination attempt on Vuk Draskovic, a political opponent, and the murder of Slavko Curuvija, a journalist. The former president is also being investigated for abuse of office and the diversion of funds.

Mr Mihajlovic said in Vienna: "We are talking about investigations. We need proof. If we get this, we will ask the justice authorities to bring charges." Zoran Djindjic, Serbia's Prime Minister, said issues related to war crimes would be part of any domestic trial of Milosevic.

Carla Del Ponte, chief prosecutor of the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague, said Milosevic would face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted by it. The tribunal cannot hand down a death sentence.

Milosevic was questioned for the second time yesterday by an investigative judge, Goran Cavlin. He rejected Milosevic's motion to be released from jail during the investigation. Mihail Kertes, former head of the customs service, whose evidence led to Milosevic's arrest, was questioned yesterday. A judge will question two of Milosevic's henchmen, Nikola Sainovic and Jovan Zebic, both MPs, today.

Miss Del Ponte said she expected Milosevic to be delivered to the tribunal within four months, but President Vojislav Kostunica rejected any talk of extradition. He said: "With all the other problems Yugoslavia is facing, The Hague is not at all on my mind."

There is likely to be international pressure on Yugoslavia for extradition before a donors' conference in June, but Mr Kostunica, a critic of the UN tribunal and of foreign ultimatums against Yugoslavia, said: "National dignity is more important than a handful of dollars."

He also underlined his nationalist credentials and his differences with the government. He criticised the fiasco of Milosevic's arrest and noted that America's $50 million (£35 million) aid was "extremely small" compared to the $50 billion damage caused by Nato bombing.

Despite Milosevic's arrest, Yugoslavia seems headed for conflict with the war crimes tribunal. It will not extradite a citizen until a federal "law on co-operation" with The Hague is passed, but opposition to extradition remains strong in parliament.

-- Anonymous, April 03, 2001


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