World leaders have welcomed the arrest of the former Yugoslav president, Mr Slobodan Milosevic, who was being held in Belgrade's central prison last night. They have also urged that he be transferred to The Hague to face the UN War Crimes Tribunal over alleged atrocities against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
A judge in Belgrade remanded Mr Milosevic in custody for an initial 30 days while charges of corruption, embezzlement and abuse of power were investigated. The former president has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The indictment did not include any alleged war crimes. His lawyer said he would appeal the detention order, adding that his client was to be questioned again tomorrow.
Mr Milosevic was taken to prison following a pre-dawn raid by police on his villa in Belgrade yesterday.
He reportedly brandished a gun and threatened to kill himself and his family rather than go to jail, but eventually went quietly after about two hours of negotiations between the government and his colleagues in the Socialist Party.
"His arrest represents an important step in bringing to a close the tragic era of his brutal dictatorship," the US President, Mr George Bush, said. "We cannot and must not forget the chilling images of terrified women and children herded onto trains, emaciated prisoners interned behind barbed wire and mass graves unearthed by UN investigators," he added.
"Milosevic's arrest should be a first step toward trying him for the crimes against humanity with which he is charged," Mr Bush said. The President gave no indication whether he would step up pressure for a transfer to the UN tribunal by cutting off aid to Yugoslavia. The US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, may announce a decision on the aid today.
Also welcoming the arrest, the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, said: "We have waited for this day for a long time. Justice must now be done." The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, said it was "another important step toward bringing Milosevic and his cronies to book".
The German Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, said the move against Mr Milosevic was a sign that the government led by Mr Vojislav Kostunica was committed to democracy, but added that the new administration must now co-operate with international justice.
In Bosnia, still recovering from the effects of war, the Foreign Minister, Mr Zlatko Lagumdzija said the actions of the Milosevic regime had "shocked the region for a decade" and urged his transfer to the UN tribunal.
In Sarajevo, the former Yugoslav leader is largely blamed for starting the 1992 conflict that kept the capital besieged for three years as part of Europe's bloodiest war for 50 years.
However, Mr Dmitri Rogozin, chairman of the Russian State Duma's Committee for International Affairs, said handing over Milosevic would be a serious political mistake. "Milosevic's surrender will play into the hands of the US, which would like to see him in The Hague and thus legalise the spring of 1999 and justify NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia," Mr Rogozin said.