It is reported that the Hague-based United Nations War Crimes Tribunal is to indict President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes. It is understood an arrest warrant has already been signed. The Tribunal started its investigation into Kosovo atrocities on March 10 last year.
Australia has said that it regrets the decision by the Yugoslav authorities to bar international observers from the trial of three aid workers, accused of spying for NATO. Two of the accused are Australian, the third is a Yugoslav. The three, who work for the charity Care International, were arrested as they tried to leave Serbia nearly two months ago. If found guilty they could be jailed for between ten and twenty years. One of the men, a former Australian Army Major, Steve Pratt, is charged with organising an espionage network. The trial began earlier in a military court in Belgrade. The three work for the charity Care International. The charity denies the allegations and says that information they had gathered was to be used to ensure the safety of colleagues. A spokesman for the charity, Brian Doolan, insisted that the men were innocent.
NATO commanders are expected to meet before the end of the month to work out the details of a planned increase in the number of ground troops to be sent into Kosovo. It will then be up to members of the alliance to decide what forces each country will provide. This follows yesterday's decision to increase the number of troops on the borders of Kosovo.
Meanwhile The British government has announced that as many as 12,000 additional troops can be made available to join an enhanced NATO force in the Balkans which it said could be 60,000-strong. The Defence Secretary, George Robertson, confirmed in the House of Commons that a NATO force of between 55,000 to 60,000 troops may be needed for the huge undertaking that would be necessary when refugees return to Kosovo.
NATO has insisted that the size of the focre is not a step towards invasion. It is being stressed that the force would not be expected to fight its way into the province and would go in only after Serb troops had withdrawn. It is also been reported that non-members of NATO will be briefed on the new operation and will be asked if they are interested in taking part.
