Serbia said on Wednesday that it had sent a request to Bulgaria for the extradition of Agim Ceku, a former prime minister of Kosovo wanted in Serbia on war crimes charges.

Serbian Minister of Justice Snezana Malovic told the national Tanjug news agency that the Ministry of Justice was asking for Ceku's extradition because of the court case against him, initiated at the Nis District Court on charges of genocide, the murder of 669 Serbs and 18 other non-ethnic Albanians in 1999 in Kosovo.

Malovic said she expects the Bulgarian authorities will respond promptly and positively.

She said that the extradition process could be carried out in line with the European Convention on Extradition, although Serbia and Bulgaria signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters back in 1960.

The 59-year-old Ceku, who was the prime minister of Kosovo from March 2006 to January 2008, was arrested Tuesday night while trying to cross the Bulgarian border from Macedonia due to an Interpol wanted notice issued by Serbia in 2002.

Ceku had been a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the 1998-1999 Albanian guerrilla war for independence from Serbia. He had been arrested in Slovenia and Hungary but was released later instead of being turned over to Belgrade. Last month, Ceku was expelled from Colombia after Serbia requested Colombian authorities to arrest him.

Bulgarian prosecutors on Wednesday asked for three-day detention for Ceku. The Bulgarian authorities said they asked for extending detention in order to consult with Interpol about further steps.

The Kosovo government has asked Interpol and other countries to ignore Serbia's warrant for Ceku's arrest.

Kosovo, a Serbian province, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. It has been recognized by 60 countries, but Serbia says it will never do so.

Source: Xinhua