Milosevic move splits reformers

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Slobodan Milosevic's extradition to the U.N.'s war crimes tribunal highlights divisions between two of the men who were prime movers in the ex-president's downfall.

Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic ignored a court ruling banning the extradition on Thursday -- a move condemned as "unconstitutional" by Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica.

The conflict threatens the unity of Yugoslavia's coalition government, already fighting to maintain political and economic stability.

Djindjic said on Friday that the surprise move to send Milosevic to the Netherlands was for the good of the nation. "Any other solution except cooperation (with The Hague) would lead the country to disaster," he told independent B92 radio.

But Kostunica said the extradition was illegal, while minority ruling Socialists are threatening to bring down the Yugoslav government in protest.

The Yugoslav Constitutional Court ordered a halt on Thursday afternoon to the attempts to send Milosevic to The Hague tribunal.

That was followed by a Serbian government session that voted overwhelmingly to go ahead with the handover, with only a representative of Kostunica's DSS party opposing.

"After the Constitutional Court decision it was clear that the (Serbian) republican government had to take responsibility," said Djindjic.

Kostunica said: "Without a state of law, we will get nowhere. Now we need to face the problem of the survival of the country. I will do all I can to keep the country together."

The move underlined the uneasy relationship between Djindjic and Kostunica.

Djindjic said he had warned the Yugoslav president that the Serbian government might ignore rulings made by a court made up of Milosevic allies.

He said he told Kostunica on Monday that he would either resign or force through the extradition if it was blocked in the courts.

Any continued stand-off could have led to political collapse for the Yugoslav and Serbian governments.

"It would have led to a crisis at both federal and republican level, an international crisis and to the isolation of our country," he said.

Djindjic and Kostunica were the key figures in the reform movement that overthrew Milosevic in a mass uprising last October.

Now Djindjic's move to extradite Milosevic has been hailed as "revolutionary" by Balkan Stability Pact coordinator Bodo Hombach, who underlined the differences between Djindjic and Kostunica.

"Kostunica is a law professor, for him the formulae, the text and the precedents are important," he told German television.

"Djindjic is different. He thinks about the future of his country... that makes this move somewhat revolutionary."

But the decision is set to provoke a period of political uncertainty in Yugoslavia at a time of already strained relations between main players within the federation.

Montenegro's Socialist People's Party (SNP), a former ally of Milosevic now in the Yugoslav government along with the DOS reformers, had earlier blocked moves to extradite Milosevic by a parliamentary motion.

On Friday the party, which has six ministers in the 16-strong Yugoslav cabinet, including Prime Minister Zoran Zizic, said the transfer spelled the end of the coalition.

"I will make known my final decision on the further functioning of the federal government after a meeting with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, who has entrusted me with my mandate," Zizic told the state Tanjug news agency.

There have been warnings that the collapse of the coalition could threaten the Yugoslav federation as the reformers need the SNP's 28 seats in 138-seat Yugoslav parliament.

The DOS reformers have 58 seats, meaning they have no absolute majority. In the Serbian parliament, however, it has an overwhelming majority.

The Milosevic extradition comes at a time of already strained relations between Montenegro and Serbia, the last two republics making up the federation, with leaders in Montenegro pushing for independence.

A crisis over the Milosevic case could bring forward federal elections, which are not officially due until 2004, some observers believe.