Possible Hague charges for KLA commanders

Pristina, Wednesday -- The Hague Tribunal is considering raising indictments against five former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the tribunal's chief prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, said today. In a meeting with the representatives of the council in Gracanica she also promised to look into the program of post war crimes, currently under the jurisdiction of the special court in Kosovo.

The Democratic Party was particularly critical of the timing of del Ponte's visit, only days after her office had declined to investigate alleged war crimes committed by NATO during its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.

Del Ponte also told media in Pristina today that she was strongly opposed to any deal involving asylum for Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, saying that the best solution for stability in the Balkans was to deliver Milosevic to The Hague. She added that the Milosevic regime had for twelve months prevented Hague investigators from entering Serbia which had been a great obstacle to investigating crimes against the Serbian population of Kosovo.

US businessman and former Yugoslav Prime Minister Milan Panic supported the idea of an exit deal with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Panic, in an article for the International Herald Tribune says such a deal could be brokered only by Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that after last year's bombing campaign, no NATO country could take the role. The full story from the International Herald Tribune may be found at this link: A Milosevic exit strategy

Source: B92

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