Former Yugoslav President Mr Slobodan Milosevic must be transferred to the The Hague-based war crimes tribunal, two Europe-wide security and rights bodies said today.
"We want full cooperation by Yugoslavia with the ICTY [International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia] . . . which in the end means [his] transfer to The Hague," said Mr Walter Schwimmer, secretary-general of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe.
He was speaking after a meeting in Bucharest with Mr Mircea Dan Geoana, chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Mr Milosevic is in jail in Belgrade after being arrested at his home last week. Yugoslav authorities are under growing pressure to transfer him to The Hague, although they insist he will be tried first in his homeland.
Mr Schwimmer also said Belgrade must abolish the death penalty if it wants to become a full member of the Council of Europe. Serb Justice Minister Mr Vladan Batic recently said it was "too early" to scrap capital punishment.
AFP