A spokesman for the tribunal in the Hague said Yugoslavia had rejected the tribunal's jurisdiction in Kosovo.

However, British officials say a few tribunal representatives have already made preliminary visits to Kosovo since the agreement reached last month between President Milosevic and the American envoy, Richard Holbrooke, to end the crisis in the province.

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Under UN Security Council resolutions, the War Crimes Tribunal does have jurisdiction in Kosovo and Belgrade is supposed to co-operate with it.

But Serb officials say that as they do not consider there to have been a war in Kosovo so the War Crimes Tribunal has no jurisdiction.

Abuse allegations

UN War Crimes Tribunal Prosecutor Louise Arbour

Ms Arbour has said she wants to investigate allegations of abuses in Kosovo, where Serb forces and ethnic Albanian separatists have been fighting in earnest since the spring.

"There have been numerous allegations, specific and credible enough to require further investigations," she said earlier this week.

The allegations include reports of summary executions, wanton destruction and plunder.

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Both sides have been accused of attacks on civilians.

Such reports were commonplace during the last few months of Belgrade's offensive against separatist guerillas of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

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Thousands of ethnic Albanian villagers fled into the hills, though many have returned since last month's agreement.

Ms Arbour had planned to travel to Kosovo with Deputy Prosecutor Graham Blewitt and a team of around 10 investigators.