European press review

Slobodan Milosevic's sudden death and its impact on the Balkans' future continue to dominate European papers.

Elsewhere, student protests in France are examined and a Swedish daily considers a democracy in "rude health".

No rest or peace

The accusations that former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was poisoned by the Hague tribunal, says Germany's Die Tageszeitung, and the controversy over where he will be buried are a godsend to nationalists in Serbia.

"Conspiracy theories about the dark forces that wanted to enslave Serbia are experiencing a renaissance," it says.

The "poison" introduced by Milosevic into Serbian society is still at work, it says.

Referring to Kosovo's status talks, a referendum on Montenegro's independence in May and negotiations on an EU association agreement, the paper says "the wrangling over Milosevic, which has emerged after his death, does not exactly improve Serbia's position".

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung is frustrated.

"Even the death of the former Belgrade ruler affords no peace," it laments.

His victims will "have to accept that they will be denied the satisfaction of a court judgement", it says.

Catch me if you can

Die Welt, meanwhile, focuses on the repercussions for international justice, saying Mr Milosevic's death is a fiasco for Carla Del Ponte, the chief prosecutor at the Hague tribunal.

"While Serbian conspiracy theorists are having a field day and nationalist fanatics are benefiting," it says, "the rest of the world cannot understand why the Milosevic case had to end so miserably."

And The accusation that Ms Del Ponte "wanted to write history instead of meting out justice to the accused as quickly as possible weighs like a ton of bricks", it argues.

When the UN tribunal finally closes its doors in 2010, it adds, "two faces will be remembered", Slobodan Milosevic, who escaped punishment by his judges, and Carla Del Ponte.

Czech paper Hospodarske Noviny complains that "the trial was too ambitious and too long".

France's Le Monde hopes that Mr Milosevic's death would "allow the vast majority of the Serbian people to rid themselves completely of the ghosts of the past".

Bitter aftertaste

If you are by chance hearing loud laughter it is Slobodan Milosevic laughing loudly on his way to Hell, having escaped and shown us that we do not know how to try war criminals Mlada Fronta Dnes

Sweden's Expressen finds it "regrettable" that the trial will never be concluded, adding that the UN War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia "was the most important of its kind since the Nuremberg trials".

"Milosevic was a test of international justice" and "the trials' crown jewel", it adds.

"It did not turn out that way and there is a great risk that the bitter aftertaste will gain the upper hand", it concludes.

Czech daily Mlada Fronta Dnes makes a similar note.

"If you are by chance hearing loud laughter," the daily says, "it is Slobodan Milosevic laughing loudly on his way to hell, having escaped and shown us that we do not know how to try war criminals."

"He escaped justice," just like Adolf Hitler or Hermann Goering, the daily laments.

Moreover, it adds, he died like Rudolf Hess and "his death will undoubtedly give birth to a legend".

The Hague Tribunal was supposed to show that even heads of state can be punished for their acts, says the paper, but this was "the worst possible" outcome.

"If I were guarding Saddam Hussein, I would be very careful", it advises.

Simmering students

French newspapers focus on the continuing tension in universities over the youth labour law, or CPE, brought in by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.

"Fac off!" reads the front-page headline in Liberation, in a reference to university "faculties", or "les facs" as they are known.

As the protests gain momentum and students organise a day of action on 14 March, the universities are being "brought to boiling point", the daily notes.

Ten months after taking office, it says, "Villepin is threatened with ridicule".

Faced with his refusal to concede any ground on the issue, says Le Monde, the protesters are "raising their voices" even louder.

"Worrying signs are building up for the government," it warns, with staff joining the students in their protests in several universities.

Le Figaro believes that the students are hardening their stance, making withdrawal of the new law a precondition of any discussions.

But not all students support the protesters, it adds.

Several university vice-chancellors in Paris have been forced to cancel planned referendums on whether to continue the strike, "for fear of clashes between strikers and non-strikers".

Party poopers

Sweden's Aftonbladet says the fact that 237 parties - over a third of which are new - have applied to stand in the country's elections in September, shows that Swedish democracy is "in rude health".

"There must be space for new parties", the paper says. However, it describes the rule that parties need to win 4% of the vote nationally to enter parliament as "problematic".

"The more parties rattle around or under the threshold, the more difficult it is," it says, adding that "elections can be decided by who happens to end up below the threshold."

But, it says, the alternative is "not tempting" either.

"A mass of parties with a few per cent each would create disorder in decisions."

The parties in parliament must consider very seriously why so many people choose to start new parties rather than join established ones, the daily advises.

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.