Deutsche Welle English Service News June 29th, 2001, 16:00 UTC The former president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, is sitting behind bars in the Hague where he faces charges of crimes against humanity after a decade of ethnic wars in the Balkans. A spokesperson in the Hague has confirmed that Milosevic will make his first appearance before the International War Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday morning. Many western leaders, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, have hailed Belgrade's decision to extradite the former Yugoslav leader. Schroeder called the move a triumph for justice and French President Jacques Chirac said the news would send a strong message about human dignity. However not all powers were satisfied with the decision. Russia joined Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica in denouncing the handover, saying it was illegal and unconstitutional. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov also said the move would undermine Yugoslavia's fragile institutions after a decade of turmoil and was bound to fan the flames of separatism. On his 3-day mission in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah in an effort to bolster an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire. At the meeting King Abdullah told Powell that Israel had to create the proper circumstances for peace which involves lifting a blockade of Palestinian areas and freezing settlement building. He also called for the full implementation of the recommendations made by former U.S. senator George Mitchell. Powell left Amman after the one-hour meeting and headed for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in Paris before heading back to Washington. In the meantime, a barrage of six mortar bombs fired at Jewish settlements in Gaza earlier in the day highlighted the tough task ahead for both sides in ending nine months of Israeli-Palestinian violence. At an international donors conference in Brussels, the European Commission has pledged nearly $450 million dollars to Yugoslavia in a package of grants and loans to help rebuild the Balkan country's war-battered economy. The money is in addition to pledges already made by the 15 EU-member states. The United States and Japan are also expected to pledge several million dollars to Yugoslavia. The conference opened in Brussels just hours after ex-president Slobodan Milosevic was extradicted to The Hague. The pledges, totalling $1.28 billion dollars, slightly exceeded the conference organisers' target. Yugoslavia's needs have been estimated at about $4 billion dollars. Russia has said it was open to changes in the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, according to Russian news agencies. The new sources quoted a senior Russian General, Leonid Ivashov, who is in charge of international co-operation. It was the first time a high-ranking official has explicitly raised the possibility of making changes to the treaty. Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Russia would respond to any U.S. bid to abandon the ABM arms control accord by adding multiple warheads to its nuclear missiles. Russia strongly opposes U.S. plans to build an anti-missile shield on grounds that it would violate the ABM pact, defended by Moscow as the foundation of three decades of disarmament. Ethiopian President Negaso Gidada has said he planned to see out his term of office despite quitting the ruling coalition last week. In an open letter to the Oromo People's Democratic Organisation, Negaso said attempts by the government to blacken his name could, however, cause him to step down before the end of his six-year term, which expires later this year. Negaso announced his withdrawal from the council of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition last Friday, complaining the organisation had abandoned its socialist ideals. He also said he had come under pressure to quit from Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the country's most powerful leader and head of the main party coalition. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been re-elected for another five years as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations. The 189-member U.N. General Assembly endorsed Annan with warm applause two days after the 15-nation U.N. Security Council did the same. The election process, usually held late in the year, took place six months before the expiration of Annan's first term. Diplomats said he should have the extra time to get started on his second term. Serbian News Network - SNN [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.antic.org/