Yugoslavia pledge on war crimes

Mr Milosevic is at the centre of the disagreement

Senior Yugoslav and Serbian officials have promised to take steps to transfer non-Yugoslav citizens indicted by the United Nations for war crimes to the international tribunal in the Hague.

The Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic said: "There is no reason whatsoever that Serbia should be an oasis for war criminals".

He was speaking after he and the Yugoslav Justice Minister, Momcilo Grubac, met the UN prosecutor Carla del Ponte at the start of a three-day trip to the Hague.

Yugoslavia is under pressure to begin handing over indicted war crimes suspects by 31 March. If it fails to comply, it could face sanctions, including the withholding of $10m of American aid by the United States.

More surrenders

Prosecutor Carla del Ponte is not one to back down

Mr Batic said there are signs that some of those indicted would soon turn themselves in.

He referred to Blagoje Simic, a Bosnian Serb wanted for crimes against humanity, who surrendered to the court last week.

"I think that some other indictees apart from Blagoje Simic will very soon surrender voluntarily."

But they do not include the former President, Slobodan Milosevic.

Mr Batic said investigations into Mr Milosevic were continuing and that many of his close associates had given "valuable information".

"It is very probable that criminal proceedings against him will start very soon, but it is not for the ministry of justice to arrest, nor to try, nor to prosecute."

Sanctions threat

Mr Djindjic will try to change minds in Washington

The war crimes tribunal may be prepared to give way on some details - it does not expect Mr Milosevic to be among the first of 15 suspects it wants surrendered - but it expects Yugoslavia to meet its demands.

The question is will this be enough to forestall the imposition of sanctions.

The United States has threatened to cut off a $100m aid package if Belgrade does not start delivering suspects this month.

The Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who leaves for Washington on Tuesday, is hoping to persuade the US to be more flexible.

"I hope I will be able to explain that our policies are as quick as possible under the circumstances and that any speeding up of that pace could jeopardise democracy in Serbia," the Beta news agency quoted Mr Djindjic as saying.