Former Serbian president Milutinovic turns himself in to UN

By Anthony Deutsch, The Hague

Milutinovic, charged with war crimes during a Serb crackdown in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo in 1999, took a special flight to Amsterdam and was taken by car to the UN detention facility in The Hague. Though regarded as a figurehead leader, Milutinovic, 60, was a member of the inner circle of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

Any testimony he might offer could prove damaging to the former Yugoslav leader, who is facing charges of genocide and other war crimes before the UN court.

Milutinovic, who was Serbia's president from 1997 up to last month, has denied he had any role in war crimes in Kosovo, saying during his presidency he didn't have control over Serb-led security forces in the province.

Bajram Rexhepi, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian prime minister, described Milutinovic's extradition as better late than never.

He insisted reconciliation in the Balkans would only come when all suspects facing war crimes were brought to justice.

Milutinovic's most prominent role in his presidency was leading a Serbian delegation during US-sponsored peace talks on Kosovo with rival ethnic Albanian leaders in France in 1999.

The failure of those talks led to 78 days of NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia to punish the Serb leaders for their violent crackdown in Kosovo.

After Milosevic's expulsion in 2000, the pro-democracy leadership that succeeded him kept Milutinovic as a figurehead Serbian president. It refused demands to extradite him until his term and presidential immunity expired December 29, 2001.

Serbia's government has asked The Hague court to set Milutinovic free pending the start of his trial because he agreed to surrender and because of his poor health. He has had two heart surgeries in the past few years.

Should Milutinovic be released after an initial appearance, the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said it would guarantee that he would return for trial.

The tribunal said it might consider the government request but only once Milutinovic faces hearings and after he is examined by the court's doctors.

Milutinovic is among five Serbian officials jointly indicted by the UN tribunal in 1999 for command responsibility in the Kosovo carnage.