Former Yugoslav army chief General Dragoljub Ojdanic has surrendered to the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. 

The general arrived in Amsterdam from Belgrade and was promptly transferred to the tribunal's detention center just outside The Hague. The U.N. tribunal indicted General Ojdanic for his role in the Kosovo conflict. Before leaving Belgrade, the general told reporters he is innocent of the charges, insisting his conscience is clear. 

He said he is turning himself in as a modest contribution toward ending the isolation of his country, which has faced a decade of sanctions because of its role in Balkan conflicts. He is the first of six suspects who have agreed to voluntarily surrender to the tribunal in The Hague. 

Meanwhile, in Madrid, the tribunal's chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte has demanded that the European Union increase pressure on Belgrade to step up extraditions. 

In a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Pique, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, Ms. del Ponte stressed that the general is only one of a series of fugitives sought by the tribunal for war crimes. Yugoslav authorities last week ordered 23 suspects indicted by the tribunal to give themselves up or face arrest. Officials in Yugoslavia Wednesday issued warrants for those who refused. 

Authorities say five of the six who have voluntarily agreed to surrender to the tribunal have accepted a two-week Yugoslav government deadline. Former army officer Mile Mrksic has been given a 30-day extension for health reasons. 

Under legislation adopted earlier this month, Yugoslav and Serbian authorities promised their support to those who surrender, when they seek release on bail pending trial. The legislation also provides for extradition to The Hague of all suspects already indicted by the U.N. tribunal. 

In addition to General Ojdanic and Mr. Mrksic, Belgrade says the six suspects include former Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic and former Croatian Serb leader Milan Martic. The others are Yugoslav military officer Vladimir Kovacevic, as well as Momcilo Gruban, a former commander of the Serb-run prison camp in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

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