MOSCOW, January 21 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Saturday that he would be happy if former Yugoslavian leader Slobodan Milosevic came to Moscow for medical treatment.
"I do not know what kind of decision will be made at the state level, but the [Russian] capital will be happy to receive Milosevic," he said.
Luzhkov said the trial of Milosevic, 64, who stands accused of genocide during the conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and the Serbian province of Kosovo in the 1990s, was groundless and all accusations had proved false.
He also said prosecutors should apologize to Milosevic for all the years he had spent in prison.
Milosevic's trial, which has been ongoing for four years, is set to resume on January 23 after a six-week recess caused by the defendant's health problems, namely high blood pressure, a heart condition and fatigue.
Milosevic has also complained that he suffers from headaches and earaches. In December, Milosevic asked to be released to Moscow for medical treatment at the Bakulev Institute, Russia's leading cardiology center.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Milosevic would be returned to The Hague to continue his trial on charges of genocide if he is released to Moscow for medical treatment, adding that Milosevic had also given his personal guarantee that he would return to The Hague after treatment.
Russian daily newspaper Kommersant reported Wednesday that Milosevic would come to Russia for treatment, but suggested that he would seek asylum in the country.
