Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic says he expects authorities in Yugoslavia will move to extradite war crimes suspects to The Hague in the next few days. 

The Serbian leader's comments followed Monday's pledge by Yugoslavia's federal government to fully cooperate with the Hague war crimes tribunal. Despite the pledge, Yugoslav authorities have taken no action to arrest indicted suspects. 

Mr. Djindjic said he expects the first extraditions to come by Wednesday. But he said the timing depends on what Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica decides. 

The Yugoslav leader has consistently opposed extradition, saying the country's federal parliament first needs to adopt a law governing cooperation with the tribunal. Mr. Kostunica has repeatedly criticized the Hague court for what he considers anti-Serb bias. 

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell postponed a decision on whether Yugoslavia has cooperated sufficiently with the Hague war crimes tribunal to receive additional millions of dollars in U.S. aid. 

The U.S. Congress has ordered that aid to Belgrade be restricted after March 31 unless Secretary Powell certifies Yugoslav authorities have met certain requirements, including delivery of war crimes suspects to the tribunal. 

About $40 million in direct U.S. aid is at stake, plus Washington's support for additional loans to Belgrade from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. A U.S. State Department spokesman said Secretary Powell decided to defer the decision even though Yugoslavia has made significant progress in meeting other U.S. requirements for continued aid. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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