Serb PM: Milosevic faces indictment

Djindjic: Investigators gathering evidence on Milosevic

WASHINGTON -- Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic could be indicted soon, the prime minister of Serbia has said.

Zoran Djindjic was speaking after meeting new U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington.

Djindjic said Serbia, the dominant republic in the Yugoslav federation, wanted Milosevic to go through its system first, which would then "connect" with The Hague "in a few months."

A United Nations court in The Hague, Netherlands, wants to put Milosevic on trial for alleged war crimes by his forces during the conflict in Kosovo province in 1999.

Djindjic said evidence was being gathered against Milosevic at home, although he did not say whether that was on allegations of war crimes, corruption or vote-rigging.

Asked if his government was preparing an indictment, Djindjic said, "yes," but added investigators had a "huge task."

Parliament would meet in a few days to appoint courts and an attorney general who would be in a position to investigate the alleged crimes, Djindjic said.

"We will start immediately after that. In 10 days or two weeks we will have some results. We have some proofs, evidences, of course, but we want to deal with them in a legal way," he said.

Boucher said Belgrade needed to coordinate with The Hague.

"There are two sets of issues. One is the issue of crimes that he (Milosevic) may have committed domestically against Serbia, that need to be tried in Serbia.

"And, then the second issue is crimes he may have committed internationally, that need to have international justice. We need to keep talking about this so that the two processes can both work in a way that accommodates both."

Kosovo status vague

The downfall of the Balkans strongman after elections and a popular revolt in October opened the door to Djindjic's reform government, appointed on January 25.

Powell also met leaders of the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo -- moderate Ibrahim Rugova, ex-paramilitary leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army Hasim Thaci and publisher Veton Serroi.

Rugova told reporters through an interpreter that he had asked Powell to recognise the independence of Kosovo as a way of ending tensions that continue despite its status as a de facto international protectorate.

Pressed on what Powell's reaction was, Rugova said: "We have an understanding in general."

Boucher said: "Secretary Powell didn't address anything in those terms for an issue like that, specifically."

A Security Council resolution asserted Yugoslav sovereignty over the province of Kosovo, but its future status has been vague since Milosevic's forces left and NATO sent in peacekeepers following its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999.

Boucher said a kind of "unified field theory of Balkan particles" was expressed at Powell's meetings.

"We're talking about democracy, we're talking about integration, we're talking about the broader regional cooperation trends."

Reuters contributed to this report.

NATO chief looks to Serbian future
January 30, 2001
Europe welcomes Bush
January 20, 2001
Kostunica to meet war crimes head
January 18, 2001
Europe to debate 'Balkans syndrome'
January 17, 2001
Milosevic under guard
February 1, 2001
Troops clash with ethnic Albanians
February 1, 2001

US Department of State
Serbia Ministry of Information

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.