Although President Milosevic has been formally indicted to appear before the ICTY at The Hague in the Netherlands, there is widespread media speculation that diplomatic moves to ensure he avoids prosecution in return for standing down are already underway.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

'There must be no deals to establish effective immunity from prosecution for President Milosevic. It is a vital principle of international law that nobody, absolutely nobody, should be above the law.

'Justice cannot be sacrificed for a political fix. The UK government should reaffirm its support for the independence of the Hague tribunal, and resist any political interference in its work.'

The UK government, as a member of the ‘Contact Group' on the Former Yugoslavia (other nations are the US, Germany, France, Germany, Italy and the Russian Federation), has a key role to play in maintaining diplomatic support for the Hague tribunal.