Serb police reveal proof of Milosevic war crimes

BELGRADE - Serbian police have accused Slobodan Milosevic of covering up the murder of thousands of civilians in Kosovo, in a first step towards ensuring that the former Yugoslav president will finally be held accountable for war crimes committed by his forces.

Police have revealed graphic details of how Mr Milosevic ordered police chiefs to suppress evidence of war crimes against the majority Albanians in Kosovo, including systematically disposing of the bodies of murdered Albanians.

The order was given at a secret meeting in Belgrade in March 1999, apparently just after Nato air strikes began.

The Serbian Interior Ministry said that the new evidence emerged during an investigation into the dumping of a refrigerator truck full of corpses into the Danube during the 11 weeks of air strikes.

Revelations about the truck were first reported by British newspaper The Independent three weeks ago.

The ex-president stands accused by the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague of crimes against humanity.

Until now, the bodies of thousands of Albanians believed to have been murdered -­ vital evidence of war crimes ­ have remained unaccounted for.

The new pro-reform Yugoslav authorities have also declined so far to prosecute Mr Milosevic for war crimes because of lack of evidence, and have refused to transfer him to The Hague.

He has been in jail in Belgrade since April 1, awaiting trial on domestic corruption charges.

"Slobodan Milosevic ordered Vlajko Stojiljkovic [the Interior Minister at the time and a close friend of the ousted president] to take measures to remove all traces that could lead to evidence about crimes," Dragan Karleusa, the head of the organised crime division of the Serbian Police said yesterday.

A total 10,000 Albanians were killed by Serb forces or paramilitaries from March to June 1999, according to human rights groups.

The announcement appears to mark the start of attempts to pave the way for Mr Milosevic's extradition to the Hague.

Prosecutors at the Hague tribunal welcomed the new evidence. Jean Jacques Joris, a senior adviser to the tribunal's chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, said the accusations make it "clear that Mr Milosevic was directly involved in the crimes committed in Kosovo".

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