Milosevic charged over gun attack

Draskovic blamed Milosevic after the incident

The Serbian authorities have charged former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic with organising the attempted assassination of his rival, Vuk Draskovic, three years ago.

Mr Milosevic - who is currently on trial for war crimes at the international tribunal in The Hague - is accused of setting up a group that tried to kill Mr Draskovic in June 2000.

This is the second time in less than a week that the police have filed charges against Mr Milosevic.

He has also been charged with inciting the murder three years ago of the former Serbian president, Ivan Stambolic.

Police found Mr Stambolic's remains in a ditch in northern Serbia during a crackdown on organised crime following the murder of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic on 12 March.

The government said that more than 10,000 people were questioned during the state of emergency imposed after Mr Djindjic's assassination, and several thousand remain in custody.

The state of emergency was lifted last week.

Slightly wounded

Correspondents say Mr Milosevic is likely to be tried in absentia in the Stambolic and Draskovic cases.

Slobodan Milosevic is on trial for war crimes

Also charged with the attempted murder of Mr Draskovic were the former army chief-of-staff, Nebojsa Pavkovic, former state security chief Rade Markovic and Milorad Lukovic, known as Legija - who is the main suspect in the Djindjic case.

Mr Draskovic, who was a leading opposition figure at the time, was slightly wounded when gunmen opened fire through the window of his holiday home in the Montenegrin town of Budva.

Immediately afterwards he blamed Mr Milosevic for the incident, which came amid a spate of attacks throughout Yugoslavia with apparently political motives.