Russian deputies call for investigation in Milosevic's death

Moscow, Mar 11 (UNI) Several deputies of the State Duma, the lower house of Russian Parliament, cutting across wide party spectrum, today demanded investigation into the death of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, at the Hague where he was facing war crimes charges.

Deputy speaker of the Duma, Lyubov Sliska said that by denying Mr Milosevic, the right to undergo treatment in Russia, the UN war crimes tribunal actually ''denied him the right to life''.

Ms Sliska told reporters that doctors had been aware of Milosevic's condition but refused to temporarily release him. She blamed his death on those who denied him treatment and urged them to resign.

Last December, Mr Milosevic suffering from a heart condition and high blood pressure, had asked The Hague Tribunal to allow him to go for treatment to the Bakulev Institute, Russia's leading cardiology center, but was refused.

Another Duma deputy speaker and ultranationalist leader of Russia's ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky said that the lower house would adopt a resolution on March 15, demanding to bring to account the tribunal's judges who denied Milosevic treatment in Moscow.

Mr Zhirinovsky also called for the dismissal of the tribunal.

''It is monstrous that Europe, which is fighting for human rights, refused seriously sick Slobodan Milosevic treatment,'' he said.

The leader of the Duma faction Rodina (Motherland), Sergei Baburin, called the tribunal's refusal a ''crime''.

Mr Baburin said ''a serious violation of human rights was evident'', stressing that Mr Milosevic was the third leader to suspiciously die in the Hague Tribunal's prison.

The head of the Duma's standing committee on international affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, said the circumstances of Mr Milosevic's death should be thoroughly investigated.

''The competence of doctors who kept refusing to recognize the seriousness of the former Yugoslavia President's condition should be closely investigated,'' RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.

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