Kostunica party quits 'sham' parliament

Yugoslavia was gripped by its biggest political crisis since Slobodan Milosevic was ousted two years ago when the current President's party quit the Serbian parliament.

Legislators from the party of Vojislav Kostunica, the Yugoslav President, walked out of yesterday's assembly session, which he declared was a sham. Mr Kostunica also called for strikes and protests.

All 45 deputies of the Democratic Party of Serbia handed in their parliamentary identity cards in protest at a decision by the rest of Serbia's ruling coalition to replace 21 of them and give seats to rival parties after they were dismissed for poor attendance.

Milan Milutinovic, the Serbian President, a former Milosevic aide, has been indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. (AP)