Proceedings to extradite outgoing Serbian President Milan Milutinovic to the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague could get under way on Monday, a senior Yugoslav minister has said.

It comes as Mr Milutinovic's term in office expired on Sunday, lifting his immunity from prosecution for war crimes against Albanians in Kosovo in 1999.

If the government responds in a day or two... the judge will issue an invitation to Milutinovic [to surrender voluntarily] Nebojsa Sarkic, assistant justice minister

Mr Milutinovic was initially expected to retire on 5 January, but the Serbian electoral commission decided this week that his term expired on 29 December - five years after he took his oath of office.

Serbia's justice minister, meanwhile, has called for the chief UN war crimes prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, to step down, accusing her of being biased against Serbs.

Vladan Batic said Ms Del Ponte had indicted only Serbs for crimes committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo war, while failing to pursue Albanian suspects.

Ms del Ponte's spokeswoman, Florence Hartman, rejected the allegation as "a game aimed at public opinion in countries who don't want to comply with international law".

Way clear

The Serbian Government has been under pressure from the UN tribunal to extradite Mr Milutinovic, a member of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's wartime inner circle.

Milutinovic is accused of crimes against Albanians

Up until now, it has refused to arrest Mr Milutinovic, saying that to detain a serving head of state would degrade the office of president.

But Assistant Justice Minister Nebojsa Sarkic told state television proceedings could be imminent.

"I suppose that the [Serbian investigating] judge will on Monday address the letter [to begin proceedings] to the republican government.

"If the government responds in a day or two, we have to take account of upcoming holidays, the judge will issue an invitation to Milutinovic [to surrender voluntarily]," he said.

He said the government would have to decide if Mr Milutinovic's extradition would jeopardise the security of the state.

Unpopular timing

If put on trial, Mr Milutinovic will have to answer accusations that he helped plan a Serb crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in the late 1990s.

Prosecutors say Mr Milutinovic, who was elected president of Serbia in 1997, is one of those ultimately responsible for atrocities committed by Serb forces.

Mr Milutinovic says he knew little of what was going on and could do equally little to affect it.

The BBC's Matthew Price in Belgrade says that Mr Milutinovic's transfer to The Hague would be unpopular, coming at the time of the important Serbian Orthodox religious holidays.

Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic - the man seen as responsible for Mr Milosevic's extradition to The Hague - has already said Mr Milutinovic will end up at the tribunal one way or another.