BBC World Service
Saturday, 30 December, 2000, 19:01 GMT

Purge of Yugoslav army
officers

The Yugoslav president, Vojislav Kostunica,
has retired fourteen senior military officers
including a former army chief-of-staff, General
Dragoljub Ojdanic.

The General has been indicted by the Hague
War Crimes Tribunal for alleged atrocities
committed by the army against ethnic
Albanians in Kosovo.

The current army chief of staff, General
Nebojsa Pavkovic -- a long-time ally of former
President Slobodan Milosevic -- has not been
named in the changes and apparently keeps
his post.

Commentators say the decision to retain
General Pavkovic could deepen a rift between
Mr Kostunica and Serbia's prime
minister-designate Zoran Djindjic.

Mr Djindjic advocates the dismissal of all allies
of Mr Milosevic still in senior positions.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service