Milosevic ally denies war crimes

Simatovic is accused of murdering and deporting Croats and Muslims

Serbia's former head of special police, Franko Simatovic, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and persecution in Croatia and Bosnia in the 1990s.

Mr Simatovic - appearing at the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague - also denied forcibly transferring Croats and Muslims during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

He was the founder and first commander of the special operations unit known as the Red Berets, which fought alongside Serb paramilitary forces in Croatia and Bosnia.

He was indicted last month, together with former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's one-time state security chief, Jovica Stanisic.

Mr Simatovic was arrested in Belgrade in March and charged in connection with the assassination of the Serbian prime minister, Zoran Djindjic.

While he was in detention the war crimes tribunal unsealed its indictment against him and Mr Simatovic decided to go voluntarily to The Hague.

Important role

Mr Milosevic is himself on trial for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

His case continued earlier in the same courtroom, with testimony from a Muslim who said he was a survivor of a massacre in eastern Bosnia.

Mr Simatovic may play an important role in the Milosevic trial.

Prosecutors hope he will be willing to give evidence, possibly in return for reducing the charges against him.

The BBC's Geraldine Coughlan in The Hague says that if the prosecution can prove that Mr Simatovic fought with the Red Berets in Bosnia and Croatia while he was on Serbia's payroll, they will be able to link Mr Milosevic directly with the fighting there.