Top army commander surrenders to U.N. tribunal

? Yugoslavia’s former army commander turned himself in to the U.N. war crimes tribunal Thursday, insisting he has “a clear conscience.”

Gen. Dragoljub Ojdanic, 60, is the first of six suspects to make good on a pledge to surrender rather than be arrested and extradited to The Hague. He is also the most senior Yugoslav army officer to face war crimes charges at the court.

Ojdanic flew from Belgrade to Amsterdam on a regular Yugoslav Airlines flight accompanied by a lawyer and his wife, who wept as he was taken into custody.

The former chief of staff was indicted with former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, already on trial, and three other leading aides in May 1999. He faces five counts of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war, punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Ojdanic is accused of ordering attacks against Kosovo Albanian villages between January and June of 1999. Today he will plead innocent at his initial appearance, according to one of his lawyers.

Visnjic declined to comment on whether his client will testify against Milosevic.