Dutch officials say they are releasing the body of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, to be picked up by a family member. However, arrangements for the funeral for Milosevic, who was on trial for four years in The Hague for war crimes and genocide, remain controversial.
Slobodan Milosevic's legal representative says his son, Marko, will claim his father's body by Tuesday. Lawyer Zdenko Tomanovic spoke to reporters in The Hague.
"I have just submitted information to the government of Serbia that the funeral will be in Belgrade. This is the wish of the Milosevic family," Tomanovic says.
But Belgrade has not yet given its consent to the funeral. Serbian President Boris Tadic has ruled out any formal state burial for the former president, who was extradited to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague a year after being ousted in a popular uprising.
Milosevic was found dead in his cell in a prison near The Hague tribunal, where he was being tried for his role in the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
An autopsy Sunday concluded that Milosevic, who suffered from high blood pressure and heart problems, had died of a heart attack. But questions remain concerning drugs that a Dutch toxicologist said Milosevic took.
On Sunday, Milosevic lawyer Tomanovic said his client thought he was being poisoned in The Hague by people who wanted to silence him.
The Dutch toxicologist, who examined Milosevic just two weeks ago, confirmed Monday that there were indeed traces in Milosevic's blood of a powerful antibiotic that neutralized his heart and blood pressure medication. The drug is normally used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis.
Final results from the toxicological exam conducted in conjunction with the autopsy are expected later this week.