Mr Milutinovic this week pointedly made no reference to the agreement being a temporary one.

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Mr Milutinovic has denied any involvement in war crimes and indicated he was going to The Hague voluntarily.

BBC: Serbian ex-president surrenders for trial

It should be noted, too, that Serbia's current president, Milan Milutinovic, has himself been indicted for war crimes.

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Mr Milutinovic was taken by car to a United Nations detention centre in the city after arriving on a special flight from Belgrade.

BBC: Serbian ex-president surrenders for trial

Prosecutors have alleged that, as a close associate of Mr Milosevic, Mr Milutinovic had control over atrocities blamed on Serbian forces in the province.

BBC: Serbian ex-president surrenders for trial

Mr Milutinovic is expected to answer charges of war crimes allegedly committed in Kosovo in the late 1990s when 8, 000 ethnic Albanians were forced to flee their homes.

BBC: Serbian ex-president surrenders for trial

However, it is unclear whether the court will grant a request from the Serbian Government to allow Mr Milutinovic, who has a heart condition, to return to Belgrade pending his trial.

BBC: Serbian ex-president surrenders for trial

"The game could use a little bit of an injection at this point, " added Sampson, who was head coach of the US team at France 98 and assistant coach to Bora Milutinovic for the 1994 tournament on home turf.

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One of them, Milan Milutinovic, the president of Serbia, has immunity under the constitution, and his office has dismissed reports, following Mr Milosevic's departure, that he may surrender himself to the tribunal, perhaps in order to testify against Mr Milosevic.

ECONOMIST: Justice for Milosevic | The