The UN war crimes court and its prosecutors today insisted that Yugoslavia must transfer former president Mr Slobodan Milosevic to the tribunal immediately, dropping their patient tone of recent days.
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Mr Slobodan Milosevic
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"There is no impediment and nothing to stop us stating once again the point that the transfer is the result of a non-negotiable obligation and it must happen immediately", Mr Jean-Jacques Joris, political adviser to the chief prosecutor, said.
Yesterday Mr Joris said prosecutors were prepared to wait a few months for Mr Milosevic's arrival, provided that Yugoslavia committed itself to handing over its former president and stepped up its arrests of other suspects.
However, today he said the situation in Yugoslavia was calm, and that statements from Belgrade suggested a body of support for Mr Milosevic's transfer.
"You might think that for the past two, three days, the office of the prosecutor had adopted a line which was less prominent. Now we see the arrest of Mr Milosevic has produced absolutely no upheaval. The situation is firmly in hand. There is no reason why we should not make our position clear".
Yugoslav President Mr Vojislav Kostunica has so far ruled out any immediate surrender of Mr Milosevic to The Hague. He said yesterday that Mr Milosevic's transfer was not on the agenda for now.
The international community has generally adopted a patient line. British Foreign Secretary Mr Robin Cook arrived in Belgrade today, saying Mr Milosevic should face the UN tribunal but could be first tried at home for crimes against his own people.