Del Ponte: Milosevic to face war crimes trial “within months”
Switzerland has joined other members of the international community in welcoming the arrest of the former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic. The Swiss head of the International War Crimes Tribunal, Carla del Ponte, said she expected Milosevic to be transferred to The Hague "within months".
“It’s an important step in the process which will bring Yugoslavia back into the circle of democratic countries which respect the rule of law,” said the Swiss foreign minister, Joseph Deiss.
Milosevic was arrested and imprisoned on Sunday after a tense, 26-hour standoff between police and pro-Milosevic supporters outside his villa in Belgrade. He was finally taken into custody after resisting two previous arrest attempts.
“The arrest of the former president confirms the hope we have already placed in the new Yugoslav government, said Deiss.”
Deiss, currently on a two-day visit to Algeria, called on Belgrade to cooperate fully with the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. Milosevic is has been indicted by the tribunal on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for alleged atrocities committed in Kosovo in 1999.
“I want to make it clear, however, that the Swiss government has no intention of making the extradition of Milosevic to The Hague a precondition for providing aid to Yugoslavia,” added Deiss.
Del Ponte said she thought Milosevic would face prosecution sooner or later. “I believe that within a few months, I would say in the course of this year, Milosevic should be transferred to the Hague.”
She told Swiss television that a plan had already been worked out with the Yugoslav authorities, but gave no details.
Milosevic appeared in court in Belgrade on Sunday charged with abuse of power and conspiracy.
Following Milosevic’s arrest, a spokesman for the International War Crimes Tribunal, Jim Landale, issued a warning to the Yugoslav government that it had a “legal obligation” to ensure Milosevic is extradited to The Hague.
swissinfo with agencies
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.