Belgrade politicians seek stability

Belgrade protesters see the extradition as treason

Politicians from the small Yugoslav republic of Montenegro have indicated they will try to patch up the row over former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's extradition for the sake of "Yugoslav stability".

Yugoslav Prime Minister Zoran Zizic, a Montenegrin, resigned in protest at the handover of Mr Milosevic to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

The Milosevic handover triggered political instability in Yugoslavia

But his Montenegrin People's Party will join talks on Monday aimed at forming a new government.

"We want to try to give our best contribution to try and preserve stability in Yugoslavia," MPP Cabinet minister Predrag Popvic said.

Serbian politicians hope that Milosevic supporters will be mollified by the huge aid package donors promised Yugoslavia on Friday.

Donors including the World Bank, European Union and United States pledged nearly $1.3 billion - more than Belgrade had requested.

The funds will be used to start repairing the damage done during the Milosevic era by war, corruption and economic sanctions.

Prepared to fight

Thousands of his supporters demonstrated overnight in the Yugoslav capital, Belgrade, and say they plan further protests on Monday.

Ex-Yugoslavia tribunal

Established by the Security Council 1993

Covers genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity since 1990

Maximum sentence: life

Maximum so far: 45 years for Bosnian Croat general

Most prominent suspects at large: Bosnian Serbs Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic

Mr Milosevic himself is reported to be in good spirits and preparing a vigorous defence following the extradition.

He has spoken to his wife Mira Markovic by phone and has denounced the charges as "completely political".

Mr Milosevic is accused of having ultimate responsibility for the mass deportation of 740,000 Kosovo Albanians and for the murder of hundreds of individually named Albanians, said to have been committed by Serb soldiers and militias.

New charges

War crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte said further charges were being drawn up against Mr Milosevic relating to the wars in Croatia and Bosnia.

And she said the new indictment linked him with the deaths of more than 600 Kosovo Albanians - double the number cited when he was first charged in May 1999.

But, she added, it was "scandalous" that former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his top general, Ratko Mladic - both of them also accused of war crimes - remained at large.

Mr Milosevic will make his first appearance before the tribunal on Tuesday. It will be several months before his full trial begins, to give his defence lawyers time to prepare his case.