The extradition of Slobodan Milosevic to face trial for war crimes of an exceptionally barbaric nature should be welcomed by all who wish to ensure that no unscrupulous political leader can escape justice. Mr Milosevic, once the most powerful man in all of the Balkans, now becomes Detainee 39 at the Scheveningen detention centre near The Hague and will be arraigned before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) next Tuesday.
His trial will mark the first time the international community has moved against a former head of state. As the International Commission of Jurists has pointed out, the Yugoslav government was obliged by international law to extend full co-operation to ICTY. Under those circumstances, attempts to stop the extradition in the domestic courts were deemed invalid.
The charges, originally associated with "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo, are likely to be expanded to include accusations of criminal acts in the course of the wars in Croatia and Bosnia. Compared to these allegations, the corruption charges brought against him in Belgrade are insignificant though it should be remembered that he, his wife and family, and many of his associates, enriched themselves substantially in their region's turmoil.
Mr Milosevic's extradition may be followed by the capture of two Bosnian Serbs, Mr Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic, who have also been indicted to face war crimes at ICTY. Should this happen, the international community will have done a real service to the cause of justice in the world.
On the political front, however, the manner in which the extradition was carried out is not without risk. The Serbian government used a constitutional clause to override the wishes of President Vojislav Kostunica and the deliberations of the Supreme Court. This allowed them to ignore federal authorities when their actions ran counter to Serbian interests. As a result, the Yugoslav prime minister, Mr Zoran Zizic, has resigned. But the Serbian prime minister, Mr Zoran Djindjic, justified the action as in the best interests of its people.
The use of the clause has sent a clear message to Montenegro that it is under Serb control and thus the pressure to declare its independence has increased. Montenegrin independence could raise the hopes of those Kosovo Albanians who want an independent state and, in turn, increase tension in Macedonia and Bulgaria.
Much has been made of the manner in which financial pressure was applied to ensure Mr Milosevic's extradition. Should the international community use similar politico-economic leverage to prevent further conflict in the Balkans, it will have acted in the interests of stability as well as justice.