Milosevic transfer illegal - Kostunica

The Yugoslav President has said that the transfer of former president Slobodan Milosevic to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague is illegal and unconstitutional. Speaking in a televised address Vojislav Kostunica said that the move could be interpreted as a serious jeopardising of the state's constitutional order. It is reported that Mr Kostunica found out about the hand-over through the media. That raises questions about the relationship between Yugoslavia's federal government and the reformist Serbian Government, which took the decision.

Slobodan Milosevic, is expected to arrive in the Netherlands tonight to face war crime charges at the United Nations court in The Hague. The sudden decision to surrender Milosevic has been applauded by the US President, George W Bush. The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said Milosevic's extradition will make it easier for his government to donate much-needed aid to Yugoslavia. An estimated 2,000 of Milosevic's supporters staged a rally in Belgrade with reports that western television cameramen were attacked.

Yugoslavia's constitutional court earlier suspended the government decree issued at the weekend regarding former President Slobodan Milosevic. The decree paved the way for Mr Milosevic's hand-over to the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. Mr Milosevic was indicted by the tribunal in May 1999. He was charged with crimes against humanity in Kosovo. His lawyers are fighting the extradition, and won this morning's ruling, which prevented the decree being implemented until the court has had a chance to consider whether it is constitutional.

However, supporters of the extradition claim that, because the war crimes tribunal is a UN institution and not a foreign state, the handing over of the former Yugoslav president is not an extradition. They also said that the court's independence was compromised because many of its officials were appointed by Mr Milosevic.

Slobodan Milosevic will be the first former head of state to be tried by a War Crimes Tribunal.