Milosevic's ex-general keeps job

Pavkovic, who has the backinig of Kostunica, remains in his job

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- The head of Yugoslavia's armed forces during the Milosevic years has kept his job after an influential panel failed to make a ruling.

General Nebojsa Pavkovic, who was the top general under former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, was expected to be fired by the new regime.

But the Supreme Defence Council, chaired by Milosevic's successor Vojislav Kostunica, refused to vote on whether to fire him or not on Wednesday.

Pavkovic was a close Milosevic ally and is believed to be named by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in a closed indictment for alleged involvement in atrocities committed against Kosovo's Albanians.

That crackdown was allegedly ordered by Milosevic while he was still Yugoslav president; and ended in mid-1999 with the NATO bombing.

RESOURCES In-Depth: Case against Milosevic

Nonetheless, Pavkovic is supported by Kostunica, despite demands by Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic that he be removed.

Kostunica has maintained that Pavkovic should be given credit for refusing orders allegedly given by Milosevic to move against pro-democracy demonstrators whose massive street protests led to Milosevic's ousting in October 2000.

Pavkovic recently said he was ready to answer to the U.N. war crimes tribunal if ordered to do so by the Yugoslav leadership.