MOSCOW, June 24 (RIA Novosti) - Serbia has sent Bulgaria an official request to extradite former Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku, who is wanted for alleged war crimes, Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said on Wednesday.

Ceku was arrested based on an Interpol warrant initiated by Serbia as he crossed the border from Macedonia into Bulgaria. Ceku is wanted for the deaths of 669 Serbs and 18 other non-Albanians during the war in 1998-1999. Ceku has denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.

Ceku has been arrested and released twice, in Slovenia in 2003 and Hungary in 2004. On May 9, Ceku was deported from Colombia based on an Interpol warrant.

Gezim Kasapolli, a spokesman for Ceku's Social Democratic Party of Kosovo, said he had been on a business trip to Sofia for talks with Bulgarian officials. He expects Ceku's immediate release. Bulgarian authorities said they would consider Serbia's extradition request on Thursday.

Bulgaria's Focus news agency reported that Ceku would be held in custody for a minimum of 24 hours, with the option to hold him for 48 hours.

Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Milen Keremechiev said Ceku's visit to Bulgaria was not official and the Foreign Ministry had not been notified in advance, Focus reported. Former Bulgarian foreign minister Solomon Passy told the news agency that Ceku had visited Sofia on his invitation to discuss Kosovo's integration into Euro-Atlantic structures and the establishment of the Atlantic Club in Kosovo.