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Del Ponte: Autopsy Results Will Determine if Milosevic Death a Suicide
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1152564:3919ACA Milosevic was found
dead in his cell at the UN war crimes tribunal detention center
Saturday





Slobodan Milosevic (2000 file photo)

The chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor says results of Sunday's autopsy
on the body of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic will
determine whether he committed suicide.

Carla Del Ponte declined to comment on speculation Milosevic may have
killed himself or been poisoned, telling reporters that until there
are precise results from the autopsy and toxicology tests, any such
talk is "rumors."

She also said Milosevic's death on Saturday makes it even more urgent
for Serbia to turn over indicted war crimes fugitives Radovan Karadzic
and Ratko Mladic. 

Milosevic was found dead in his cell at the U.N. war crimes tribunal
detention center Saturday.  His family has blames the war crimes
tribunal for his death. Funeral plans are pending.

He was on trial in the U.N.'s International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia on 66 charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity
and genocide for his role in the Balkans conflicts in the 1990's.

Ms. Del Ponte said the coroner had not determined the cause of death,
but U.N. officials said there were no obvious signs of suicide.

The autopsy is being performed in the Netherlands by Dutch
pathologists, with Serbian colleagues observing. 

The 64-year-old Milosevic suffered from high blood pressure and heart
disease.  His poor health repeatedly interrupted his trial.

Last month, the Tribunal denied his request to travel to Russia for
medical treatment, ruling that Milosevic could be treated by doctors
at The Hague.

World leaders Saturday expressed disappointment Milosevic did not live
long enough to face justice.  He had been in custody at The Hague for
the last five years.  His trial started in February 2002, and was due
to end in the coming months.

Milosevic's death comes a week after former rebel Croatian Serb leader
Milan Babic committed suicide last week at the war crimes detention
center where he was serving a 13-year sentence for crimes against
humanity in the 1990's.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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