Belgrade - The opposition ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) leadership Friday expelled a renegade moderate wing in a bid to re-assert control of its detained extremist chief.

The SRS policy-making body convened amid accusations of "treason" flung at the former acting party chief, Tomislav Nikolic, who resigned a week ago and cleared room to launch his own party.

Nikolic and his followers walked out of the meeting before it ended. He said the proceedings turned into an "unending argument."

"We don't belong here. We will follow our path and SRS its own," Nikolic told journalists after he left the meeting.

Nikolic stepped down after the formal party leader, the extreme anti-Western politician, Vojislav Seselj, ordered the party to vote against a pre-membership treaty with the European Union.

The majority of high-ranking officials in SRS appear to be loyal to Seselj who has been in detention at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague since early 2003.

The crucial fight among former party comrades descended to a lower level and control over municipal and regional party councils.

The split of the party, which previously nurtured a monolithic appearance was also followed by fistfights in lower-level councils throughout the past week.

Nikolic, along with some 17 representatives in parliament who followed him, were expelled from the SRS.

Nikolic's new parliamentary faction now has 18 votes, reducing the number of SRS seats to of the 250 seats in the national assembly.

Nikolic already said he would start a new party, closer to the political centre than the Radicals, who are now nudged by Seselj to move even further into the extreme right. (dpa)