MILOSEVIC WILL FINALLY FACE HIS ACCUSERS

The name of Yugoslavia's beleaguered former president, Slobodan Milosevic, has become synonymous with dictatorial abuses. The chaos of his 13-year regime has left one tiny part of the world a mess that may take decades to undo.

For months, both Yugoslav and U.N. authorities have been trying to put Milosevic behind bars for alleged corruption and war crimes. Even after he was toppled from power, he maintained a strong enough support base to avoid his would-be captors.

Until last weekend. Yugoslav officials finally succeeded in arresting Milosevic. Now negotiations are trying to sort out which charges will be tried first. At this point it appears Yugoslav courts will get the first crack as long as the U.N. war crimes tribunal gets him next.

For the world, Milosevic's arrest and pending trials are a signal that corruption of this magnitude are still subject to laws and courts. That's a good message.