BELGRADE, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The sudden death of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic made the international tribunal in The Hague face a great challenge, Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic said Saturday.

    Marovic said in a statement that "news on one's death is always sad news, particularly when it is news about the death of a sick man in jail, who has been demanding help."

    The Hague-based tribunal confirmed that Milosevic, who had been put in prison in the Netherlands after being handed over to the UN war crime tribunal on June 28, 2001, was found dead on Saturday.

    The tribunal President, Judge Fausto Pocar, has ordered an inquiry on Milosevic's death, including a full autopsy and a toxicological examination.

    The 64-year-old former Yugoslav president, who suffered from a heart attack and high blood pressure, had requested to go to Russia for medical treatment. However, the court rejected his bid on Feb. 24.

    Milosevic's trial began on Feb. 12, 2002 and he was charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during conflicts in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo in the 1990s. Milosevic denied the charges and was defending himself. Enditem