A Dutch toxicologist today confirmed he found traces of an non-prescribed drug in a blood sample taken from former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic earlier this year.

Slobodan Milosevic’s body was being released to his family today after an eight-hour autopsy revealed that the former Yugoslav president died of a heart attack in his prison cell.

SLOBODAN Milosevic wrote a six-page letter the day before he was found dead, claiming that traces of a “heavy drug” had been found in his blood and that he feared being poisoned, a legal aide to the former Yugoslav president said yesterday.

Slobodan Milosevic died of a heart attack in his jail cell, according to preliminary post mortem findings tonight.

Dutch pathologists conducted a post mortem examination and toxicological tests today to determine what killed Slobodan Milosevic amid claims that the ex-Yugoslav leader feared he was being poisoned.

Slobodan Milosevic wrote a six-page letter the day before he was found dead, claiming that traces of a “heavy drug” had been found in his blood and that he feared being poisoned, a legal aide to the former Yugoslav president said today.

Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is refusing to co-operate with two British lawyers appointed to defend him before the United Nations war crimes tribunal – even as they prepare to call the first witness in his defence case.

Slobodan Milosevic may attempt to force former US President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to give evidence at his genocide trial.

Slobodan Milosevic will refuse legal representation when he appears today before the United Nations War crimes Tribunal, maintaining the court is part of a Western conspiracy to exterminate the Serb people, his lawyers said.

Slobodan Milosevic's lawyers have flown to The Hague to meet the fallen leader and prepare for his appearance before the war crimes tribunal.

As Yugoslavia stepped up moves to extradite Slobodan Milosevic to the United Nations war crimes tribunal, the former president’s defence lawyers manoeuvred for time today, filing a request that two Belgrade District Court judges and the prosecutor be dismissed from the case.

The Yugoslavian Government has adopted a draft law enabling the extradition of former President Slobodan Milosevic to the UN war crimes court.