BELGRADE (AFP) -- Ten ethnic Albanian former guerrillas were to appear in court here Sunday accused of carrying out abductions and killings against Serb civilians at the end of the 1998-99 Kosovo conflict.

Seven other accused are on the run, the Beta news agency reported.
The Albanians, former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, are suspected of committing war crimes against the civilians in the southeastern Kosovo town of Gnjilane. They were arrested Friday in Presevo in southern Serbia on orders of Serbia's war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic.
Nine of the men were transferred to Belgrade where they were questioned by police until Sunday morning, Beta reported.
The 10th is being kept in Presevo, where local prosecutors are handling his case.
The so-called ""Group of Gnjilane"" is believed to have kidnapped 159 Serb civilians and killed at least 51 people between June and October 1999, a statement from Vukcevic's office said.
Kosovo's parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi on Saturday called on Serbia to release the men.
""We call upon the authorities of Belgrade to be responsible at these important historic moments the region and our two countries are going through,"" he said.
""In this regard we expect the release of the arrested citizens.""
Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo declared independence from Belgrade in February.