Russia confirms receiving letter from Milosevic

MOSCOW, Mar 13 (Reuters) Russia today confirmed receiving a letter from ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, in which he complained just days before his death in a cell that he had received inappropriate treatment.

''In this handwritten letter Slobodan Milosevic talks about inadequate treatment by doctors of the International Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and reiterates his request for support from Russia in getting permission to undergo treatment in a Moscow clinic,'' a Russian Foreign ministry statement said.

The statement said the letter had been handed over to the Russian embassy in the Netherlands on Saturday and received in Moscow yesterday.

Russian doctors had previously examined Milosevic, imprisoned in the detention centre of the UN war crimes tribunal during a trial on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the 1990s.

But the tribunal rejected Milosevic's request to undergo medical examination and treatment in a Moscow clinic despite Russian guarantees that he would return to the prison.

''At the request of Slobodan Milosevic's relatives, including his brother Borislav Milosevic, a group of Russian doctors is ready to fly to the Hague to take part in the autopsy,'' the statement added.

REUTERS SB PM1655