Milosevic arrest could mean $50 million for Yugoslavia

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The arrest of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic could trigger $50 million of aid for the Balkan nation from the United States.

U.S. officials scrambled Friday to confirm reports that Milosevic had been arrested on an indictment by the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal, CNN Correspondent Major Garrett reported.

"It's a start toward accountability for his crimes, domestic and international," said a senior State Department official, who asked not to be named.

Earlier Friday, U.S. President George W. Bush said he stood with the administration of former President Bill Clinton in working to bring Milosevic to justice. The Bush administration was trying to send a signal around the world that the United States or the U.N. tribunal would not tolerate these types of crimes, Garrett reported.

It remained unclear how the administration would react if Milosevic was charged in a Yugoslav court instead of the world court located in The Hague, Netherlands.

"We are expecting him to be handed over to The Hague as soon as possible, " Florence Harmann of the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal told CNN.

Earlier Friday in Yugoslavia, a police van, an ambulance and several unmarked cars showed up near the former Yugoslav president's home in Belgrade. Although there was no immediate official statement from the government of Vojislav Kostunica. But one of the government's deputy prime ministers, Carko Kovac, told CNN that Milosevic had been arrested.

"We have to wait for the formal complaint by the Serbian government in the morning, so this is really unofficial but he's been arrested and brought to the judge," Kovac said.

"As far as I know the charges ... are related to financial embezzlement, financial misdeeds and some misuse of public funds," he added.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told CNN that if Milosevic has been arrested it would be good news for the people of Yugoslavia. She called it an important and significant step toward international justice, and the re-emergence of Yugoslavia in the European community.

So far, $45 million has already been allocated to the Yugoslav government, Milan Prodic, Yugoslav ambassador to the United States, told CNN.

Prodic says some of the money is being spent on repairing roads and infrastructure destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing campaign in southern Serbia.

Police surround Milosevic home
March 30, 2001
Police arrest Milosevic aides
March 27, 2001
Del Ponte welcomes Belgrade move
March 26, 2001
Milosevic greets anti-NATO protesters
March 24, 2001
Kostunica criticises warcrimes process
March 25, 2001
Serbs hand over war crimes suspect
March 23, 2001
Milosevic net tightens, U.N. told
March 20, 2001

U.S. Department of State
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

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