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Foreign Ministry regrets tribunal's rejection of Milosevic's plea

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MOSCOW, February 25 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday it regretted the UN war crimes tribunal's refusal to let former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic go to Moscow for medical treatment.

"Moscow cannot but regret this decision given that the tribunal paid no attention to the Russian Federation's guarantees," ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said.

The International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia refused to grant Milosevic temporary release from detention to travel to Russia, saying there were no sufficient guarantees that the man, charged with genocide and war crimes, would return for his trial, nor was there any evidence to prove he could not be given adequate medical care without leaving the Netherlands.

The trial against Milosevic, which was launched four years ago, resumed after a six-week break owing to the 64-year-old defendant's health problems.

The tribunal said that if he wanted to be treated by doctors from Russia or some other foreign country, the defendant could have them invited over to the Netherlands.

Last December, Milosevic, 64, suffering from a heart condition and high blood pressure, asked to allow him to go for treatment to the Bakulev Institute, Russia's leading cardiology center.

The Russian Foreign Ministry promised that Milosevic would be returned to The Hague for his trial as soon as the treatment course was over.

Kamynin told the Russia Today television channel earlier: "Russia has provided the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia with all necessary documents to serve as a basis for the tribunal's decision regarding Milosevic's temporary release for treatment in Russia."

According to Kamynin, the former Yugoslav president also provided personal guarantees he would return to The Hague after the treatment.

Russian daily Kommersant speculated, however, that if allowed to come to Russia for treatment, Milosevic would try to gain political asylum and stay in the country.

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