THE HAGUE (AFX) - The autopsy of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, who was on trial for war crimes, ended at 7.45 pm, spokesman Christian Chartier of the UN war crimes tribunal said without giving further details.
The autopsy began at around 3.30 pm, to determine the cause of Milosevic's sudden death on yesterday.
According to his legal advisor, Slobodan Milosevic had claimed a day before his death that he risked being poisoned.
The claim was dismissed by chief war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte who said his suicide could not be ruled out.
Zdenko Tomanovic, who advised Milosevic during his long trial, read from a letter the ousted president had written Friday to the Russian embassy.
''They would like to poison me. I'm seriously concerned and worried',' he quoted Milosevic as writing.
Tomanovic said Milosevic cited a medical report which showed 'strong drugs' in his system normally used for treating leprosy or tuberculosis.
Milosevic was found dead in his prison bed yesterday at the tribunal in The Hague, where he was on trial for genocide and war crimes over the Balkan wars, which killed more than 200,000 people.
Hardcore loyalists to Milosevic accused the UN court of responsibility for his death, some even laying accusations of murder by poisoning.
Del Ponte dismissed such allegations as 'rumours.'
'We must now wait for the results of the autopsy to see the cause of death but we have no choice (but) between a normal natural death and suicide,' she told a news conference.
The tribunal requested the autopsy to establish an exact cause of death of Milosevic, who had a history of heart problems.
Milosevic had been on trial since February 2002 on more than 60 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also faced genocide charges for the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict, notably the Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys -- the biggest single atrocity in Europe since World War II.
Del Ponte said it was 'a great pity for justice' that Milosevic died before any verdict. newsdesk@afxnews.com afp/cml COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited