|
Thursday, March 18, 1999, 2:50 PM.
Kosova Albanians sign peace document
Pressure mounts on stalling Yugoslavs
PARIS (CNN) -- The ethnic Albanian delegation at the Kosova peace talks in Paris on
Thursday signed a peace document that the international community had hoped would help end
the separatist conflict in the Serbian province.
But the Yugoslav delegation refused to accept the proposed peace document and stayed away
from the signing ceremony.
The signature of the Kosova Albanian delegation means that international pressure is now
mounting on the Yugoslav federal government and on Serbia, the dominant republic in
Yugoslavia, to finally agree to the autonomy accord.
The proposed peace agreement would have given the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosova
significant local autonomy but not the kind of outright independence that the rebel Kosova
Liberation Army has been fighting for.
The peace document -- drafted by the six-nation Balkan Contact Group that includes the
United States and Russia -- also calls for NATO-led troops to enforce the peace deal.
However, that provision has been repeatedly and firmly rejected by Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic and the Serbian delegation.
The United States underlined Thursday that, even though only one party signed the peace
document, the event was sending an important signal to the world.
"I think that will make clear for all to see that the Kosova Albanians have made the
courageous decision to choose peace even while their people are being attacked and killed
on the ground today," said U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin in Paris.
NATO has repeatedly threatened airstrikes against Yugoslav targets should Belgrade be the
only party to hold up a peace agreement.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the co-chairmen of the Paris peace talks, French Foreign
Minister Hubert Vedrine and his British counterpart Robin Cook, may now ask the Yugoslav
delegation to return to Belgrade to reconsider the proposal.
In Washington, the Clinton administration expressed grave concern about what it called
large-scale Yugoslav troop movements in and near Kosova.
It warned it would act if Belgrade unleashes an offensive against the ethnic Albanians,
who make up 90 percent of Kosova's population.
State Department inviting Kosovar Albanians to Washington
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday it is inviting members
of the Kosovar Albanian negotiating team at the peace talks in Paris to visit Washington.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sent department spokesman James Rubin to Paris to
issue the invitation.
Albright asked Rubin to meet with the head of the Kosovar Albanian negotiating team,
Hashim Thaci, and "convey on her behalf an invitation to the members of the Kosovar
Albanian delegation to travel to Washington, which we expect to happen at the close of
this round of talks in Paris," said deputy State Department spokesman James Foley.
"We want to develop a good relationship with them as they transform themselves into a
politically oriented organization under a Kosova living in peace, under the terms of the
interim accord," said Foley.
Two triggers for NATO strikes
Meanwhile, the White House expressed grave concern Wednesday about large-scale Serbian
troop movements in and near Kosova and warned the Serbs not to launch an offensive against
ethnic Albanians.
White House Deputy National Security Adviser James Steinberg said NATO was "prepared
to take actions" in response, as peace talks in Paris teetered on the brink of
collapse.
Steinberg and Foley said there were two triggers for NATO military action -- a refusal by
the Serbs to agree to a Kosova peace deal, and an armed offensive against the Kosova
Albanians.
"And on both scores, we are seeing increasing evidence that the Serbs are meeting the
criteria for triggering a NATO response," Foley said.
The United States has repeatedly warned Serbia about the possibility of NATO airstrikes,
and its latest threat could fall on deaf ears in Belgrade.
But with large numbers of Serbian troops and equipment giving the appearance of an
offensive being prepared, this time NATO might carry out the threat.
Serb reinforcements seen moving into Kosova
"We're obviously very concerned about what we're seeing in terms of military
movements by Serbia," Steinberg told reporters. He said U.S. concern was conveyed to
the Serbian government by American diplomatic personnel in Belgrade.
The State Department said international monitors reported the Serbs continued moving
reinforcements into Kosova overnight and that just outside Kosova, the Serbs had
positioned 18,000 to 21,000 troops.
Significant troop movements were reported along the Albanian border, on the road to the
Macedonian border and near Prishtina, Kosova's capital.
International monitors for the Kosova Verification Mission observed a train Tuesday
bringing into Kosova a large Serb armored element, including seven T-72-type tanks.
They also said additional tanks were positioned near Podujevo, indicating that two armored
brigades had deployed in the province, said Foley.
Accountability warning
He called the troop movements a clear violation of an agreement last October with Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic that headed off NATO airstrikes at the time.
Steinberg said Milosevic "just needs to understand very clearly that if he continues
to use massive repression against the people there, that NATO has authority to act."
David Leavy, spokesman for the National Security Council, said, "If their
intransigence or continued aggression undermines the peace process or a political
settlement, they will be held accountable."
Serbs' Killing of 40 Albanians Ruled a Crime Against Humanity
(NY Times)
By CARLOTTA GALL
PRISHTINA, Kosova -- The 40 ethnic Albanians killed in the village of Racak in January
were all unarmed civilians, and their slaying amounted to a crime against humanity, the
head of a Finnish forensic team that examined the bodies said Wednesday.
The team leader, Dr. Helena Ranta, whose group performed autopsies on the victims,
announced the findings here in Kosova's capital after handing her report to the Serbian
authorities. She called for a criminal investigation of the killings and prosecution of
the perpetrators.
The report sharply contradicts the official Serbian version of the incident. And just as
Belgrade has stepped up its military campaign in Kosova and effectively stonewalled peace
talks, it also turns the spotlight on Serbia's conduct in its southern province.
"This is a crime against humanity, yes," Ranta told a news conference.
She said the report would be submitted to the International War Crimes Tribunal in The
Hague.
The Racak killings represented a turning point in the war. Upon hearing of the killings,
William Walker, the American leading the observer mission sponsored by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said the Serbian security forces had massacred the
Albanians.
Walker was threatened with expulsion, and Serbia was threatened with NATO air strikes,
setting off the chain of events leading to the first peace talks between the two sides.
Serbian authorities had said at the time that their forces had killed the people in a gun
battle or in crossfire and that the dead were members of the separatist Kosova Liberation
Army that is battling the government forces.
But the Finnish team concluded that "there were no indications of the people being
other than unarmed civilians." Among those examined, there were several elderly men
and one woman, Ranta said. Their clothes bore no insignia of a military unit, and there
was no sign that badges or insignia had been removed, a summary of the report stated.
No ammunition was found on the victims, and a test for traces of gunpowder was negative.
"It is most likely there was no fight," Ranta said.
The report also said that the clothes of the victims, marked as they were with bullet
holes and congealed blood, could not have been changed or removed. This contradicts the
official Serbian suggestion that the Albanians had removed the guerrillas' uniforms and
dressed them as civilians to stage an apparent massacre.
Ranta emphasized that the 22 bodies found in a narrow gully above the village had not been
moved, although most had been turned over when villagers first found them. "They were
most likely shot where they were found," she said, further discounting Serbian
accusations of a setup.
The dead were all killed by shooting and by more than one bullet, she said. One body bore
wounds from 30 bullets, Ranta said.
Despite the exhaustive documentation, Ranta refused to draw conclusions as to the manner
of death. She said it was not her role as a scientist to ascertain whether the killings
were a massacre.
She said she had not visited the gully herself, which lies 25 miles southwest of
Prishtina, and so could not judge the distance from which the victims were killed.
Around 40,000 Serb Forces In and Around Kosova
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - "There are probably now 16,000 to 21,000 Serb forces
gathered around the perimeter of Kosova,"
Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said Tuesday. Some 14,000 to 18,000 Serb troops are already
in Kosova, he said.
They (the Serbs) "are certainly bracing for war", Bacon told reporters.
Meanwhile, the White House expressed grave concern Wednesday about large-scale Serbian
troop movements in and near Kosova and warned the Serbs not to launch an offensive against
ethnic Albanians, CNN reported.
White House Deputy National Security Adviser James Steinberg said NATO was "prepared
to take actions" in response.
Steinberg and State Department Deputy Spokesman James Foley said there were two triggers
for NATO military action - a refusal by the Serbs to agree to a Kosova peace deal, and an
armed offensive against the Kosova Albanians.
"And on both scores, we are seeing increasing evidence that the Serbs are meeting the
criteria for triggering a NATO response," Foley said.
Significant troop movements have been reported along the Albanian border, on the road to
the Macedonian border and near Prishtina, Kosova's capital.
Most of the Serb reinforcements have been coming via the Nis-Podujeva-Prishtina highway.
International monitors for the Kosova Verification Mission observed a train Tuesday
bringing into Kosova a large Serb armored element, including seven T-72-type tanks.
They also said additional tanks were positioned near Podujeva, indicating that two armored
brigades had deployed in Kosova, said James Foley.
Serb Military Offensive in Mitrovica and Vushtrri Area Continues
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - Early in the morning today, two lorryloads of Serb soldiers
left the army barracks in Mitrovica hading for Pirē village, where they deployed, while
five heavy guns and three grenade-launchers were positioned in the hills between the
Verrnicė village of Mitrovica and Oshlan village of Vushtrri. From this hill Serbs have
been sporadically shelling the villages of Oshlan, Pantinė and Lkej, municipality of
Vushtrri, and Lubavec village of neighboring Skenderaj ('Srbica').
These villages were shelled yesterday also, while Serbian infantry units have reportedly
moved into Verrnicė and Vaganicė villages and started digging in.
Meanwhile, UĒK positions in the Zmiq mountains were pounded by Serb forces last night.
Shooting from small arms was reported Wednesday evening from a building where Serb police
live in the town of Mitrovica.
Paramilitary police forces left Mitrovica for Skenderaj today morning.
Sporadic gunfire was reported in the village of Beēuk, Vushtrri municipality, last night.
Albanians have fled the village.
Serbian lorries with civilian license plates have been seen transporting goods, including
domestic appliances, from abandoned Albanian houses in the Vushtrri municipality.
At least five wounded Serb soldiers were taken to the Mitrovica hospital yesterday. A Serb
helicopter with the first-aid sign flew several times from the Serb army barracks to the
Mitrovica hospital.
Meanwhile, local LDK sources said Ragip Bajrami (50), who was wounded in the blast at the
market in Mitrovica on Saturday, died Wednesday in a Belgrade hospital. He is the sixth
victim to have died as a result of the terrorist attack in Mitrovica. Around seventy
others were wounded that day.
Heavy Fighting in Zhilivodė Village, Serb Forces Burn Albanian
Houses
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - Heavy fighting between UĒK and Serbian military and police
forces has been reported today (Thursday) in the village of Zhilivodė, local LDK sources
in Vushtrri reported.
The village of Strofc has come under heavy Serb attack, too.
The Serb forces have been setting Albanian houses at Zhilivodė on fire.
Difficult situation in the villages on the border strip
Deēan, March 18 (Kosovapress) In the OZ of Dukagjin, the situation is continuing to be
very tense, especially in the region of the border strip. Serb forces are continuing with
the attacks on the villages, killing civilians, as was the case yesterday in Babaj tė
Bokės, looting and burning the houses. They are justifying these actions with the alleged
military exercise but, the real intention is to ethnically cleanse the region from the
Albanian residents thus creating a deserted zone near the border.
Kosova peace talks appear on brink of collapse
PARIS (CNN) -- With Serb negotiators refusing to discuss a proposed settlement for Kosova,
glum international mediators seemed ready Wednesday to end 3-day-old Paris peace talks,
paving the way for possible NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia.
Chief negotiator Chris Hill of the United States said the mediators did "not
anticipate any further progress."
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook were to
return to the talks Thursday to decide whether they should continue.
Ethnic Albanian leaders have said they would sign the accord, which grants them a degree
of self-rule in Kosova but not independence. However, the Serbs have rejected the
provision that calls for 28,000 NATO troops to guarantee the peace in Kosova and have
demanded other significant changes in the peace plan.
Hill said there will probably be a signing ceremony with the ethnic Albanians "very
shortly." But a Russian mediator said unless both sides signed, there would be no
agreement.
"It takes two to tango," Boris Mayorsky said at a news conference Wednesday.
Accusations of fraud, insincerity
Earlier in the day, the Yugoslav delegation and ethnic Albanian representatives accused
each other of fraud and insincerity.
President Milan Milutinovic of Serbia, the dominant republic in Yugoslavia, told reporters
the Yugoslav delegation had made viable proposals for Kosova's future institutions but
that "the others would like to have just a fraud."
The ethnic Albanian side said the Serbs were trying to change 70 percent of the proposed
political agreement -- changes that would give the ethnic Albanian majority even less
autonomy than it has now.
NATO has threatened to bomb Yugoslavia if Belgrade is the only party to block a peace
agreement for Kosova, the province in Serbia where 2,000 people have been killed and
hundreds of thousands displaced by the fighting between Serbs and separatist ethnic
Albanians.
A source in the six-nation Balkan Contact Group overseeing the peace talks said there was
a chance Vedrine and Cook would go to Belgrade this weekend to pressure Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic to accept the accord.
"This would show we had done everything possible to get an agreement," the
source said.
Bracing for 'very large-scale' fighting
In Washington, U.S. officials expressed grave concern over the massing of Yugoslav forces
in and around Kosova, saying the buildup violated both an October cease-fire and the
spirit of the peace talks. The United States claims more than 30,000 Yugoslav army troops
are stationed in the region, with tanks and heavy weapons.
NATO's commander, U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark, told a congressional committee Wednesday
that Serb forces appear poised to resume fighting in Kosova on a "very large
scale" if there is no peace agreement.
The supreme commander of the rebel Kosova Liberation Army, Suleiman Selimi, said Yugoslav
troops were setting up anti-aircraft missiles in rugged territory northwest of the
provincial capital, Prishtina. KLA fighters in the Cicavica mountains saw the missiles
being unloaded from trucks, Selimi said.
The ethnic Albanian Kosova Information Center reported large movements of Yugoslav army
and police forces in Kosova. In the northern Podujevo region, 30 army vehicles arrived
Wednesday as reinforcements, it said.
Fighting and shelling were reported along a 9-mile front in northern Kosova, and 7,000
ethnic Albanians fled after Serbian security forces shelled a village.
With peace prospects dim, plans for NATO airstrikes against Yugoslav military targets were
being resurrected, amid speculation that attacks could be mounted as early as next week.
But the tactic is complicated by Russia's long-standing opposition and by Russian Prime
Minister Yevgeny Primakov's planned trip to Washington next week, the Contact Group source
said.
"If Primakov was still in the United States, that would hardly be the most propitious
moment to launch airstrikes," he said; but if NATO did hold off, there could be more
problems.
"How could you send Cook and Vedrine to Belgrade to give Milosevic a final, final
warning and then follow that up with a week of total inaction? It's an extremely complex
situation," he said.
Interview of Mr. Hashim Thaci, head of the Kosova delegation
given to the International Conference in France with "Kosovapress" news agency
Paris, March 16,1999 (Kosovapress) Mr. Hashim Thaci, head of the Kosova delegation and the
mandate-carrier for the formation of the Provisional Government, in an exclusive interview
for the "Kosovapress" news agency throws light on various aspects of the work
and commitment of our delegation in France on the document to which this delegation has
given its consent to sign, on the problems and the difficulties related to its
implementation etc.
Kosovapress: The Kosova delegation has reached a consensus about the signing of the
agreement. What is the next step in Paris? Mr. Thaci: The Kosova delegation has reiterated
its principled "yes" and has expressed its readiness to sign the 3-year interim
agreement on Kosova. These days in Paris the Kosova delegation is working on the
implementation annexes to this agreement on the military annexes in particular. All this
has to do with the modes of realization of the peace process in Kosova.
Kosovapress: The French foreign minister Hybert Vedrin together with the British Foreign
Minister Robin Cook, have stated today that there could eventually be some change or some
technical details added to the agreement. Could you please say what is this all about?
Mr. Thaci: The conclusion of the agreement will take place in a few days, if the Serb side
also accepts it. It is understood that such conclusion will occur in the presence of the
US Secretary of State Mrs. Madelyn Albright. The additional details pertain to technical
aspects of the implementation of the agreement. This in no way means any change in the
contents of the various drafts of the agreement.
Kosovapress: In case the Kosova delegation signs the agreement and the Serb do not sign it
then will Belgrade suffer the consequences of it?
Mr. Thaci: In this regard I reasonably optimistic.
Kosovapress: In a declaration to the media you have stated that for the agreement to be
implemented, a greater commitment is needed on the part of the International Community,
especially of the United States and the European Union. Could you elaborate on this?
Mr. Thaci: If the International Community is not committed more seriously and concretely
then it will be difficult for this agreement to be implemented in Kosova as Serbia is
interested in continuing the war and we will be forced to fight in self defense.
Kosovapress: Could it be that in case the International Community does not deploy troops
and does not keep its word, the Kosova delegation would declare the signing of the
agreement invalid?
Mr. Thaci: I think that much will depend on how the process goes on which means on the
approaches and the actions of the International Community, on how much resolved it is to
carry out the agreement through to the end.
Kosovapress: How do you see Kosova after the expiration of the transitional period, in
three years?
Mr. Thaci: Personally I see the situation in Kosova in progress.
Kosovapress: What are the elements that make you optimistic?
Mr. Thaci: These elements are both political and military. We will now form the Kosova
Provisional Government, which will function in Kosova. The military element is related to
the KLA. We will strengthen and modernize our Army.
Kosovapress: You speak about the strengthening of the KLA, but let us recall that the
draft document of the Contact Group speaks about a process of partial transformation of
the KLA into Kosova’s Police Force. Your comment about this?
Mr. Thaci: The KLA has the Army Police Force included in it. This Police Force may be
transformed whereas the KLA as an army representing the entirety of the armed forces in
Kosova will preserve its status as a defensive force, but the transformation process
implies also its modernization.
Kosovapress: So the KLA will preserve its status. Could it be said that what you have just
stated has met with the approval of the International Community?
Mr. Thaci: The important thing is that it has met with the approval of the Kosova people
and of the political and military mechanisms in Kosova as well as with that of our
International friends.
Kosovapress: Supposing that after Paris the process of the implementation of the interim
three-year agreement on Kosova will begin, what is your forecast of the developments in
Kosova during the coming nine months until the free elections?
Mr. Thaci: I think these will be nine difficult months of this process, but we must be
prepared to face up any situation.
Kosovapress: Until a few days ago, various Albanian and foreign quarters criticized you
about your stubbornness not to sign the Agreement while at Rambouillet. What is your
comment to this?
Mr. Thaci: I have insisted not to sign the agreement at Rambouillet because I have deemed
it as very important to first consult with the people of Kosova and after getting the
Kosovar opinion we have come to a common position towards signing the agreement. This is
also the position of the General Staff of the KLA. Thus, at present, we have a common
united stand. A cohesion of the Kosova delegation and the Kosova people to attain the
agreement.
Kosovapress: Recently there have been speculations about International Community’s
proposal to the KLA to transform itself into a political Party. Could it still be
speculated that such a thing is not out of question?
Mr. Thaci: KLA is an army and it will continue to preserve this status.
Kosovapress: There have been speculations that after you were assigned the mandate carrier
of the Kosova Provisional Government, some members of the General staff of the KLA have
allegedly shifted onto political life. Could you please clarify this matter?
Mr. Thaci: The KLA has its own political program and it will strive through our mechanism
to accomplish this program.
Serbian Forces Shell Four Podujeva Villages Today Morning
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - After sporadic gunfire overnight, Serbian forces shelled today
morning, from 6:20 CET through 6:50 CET, the villages of Godishnjakė, Sallabajė,
Konushevc and Buricė, local LDK sources in Podujeva said.
Fresh Serbian forces and armor - including three armored vehicles, and six lorries full of
Serbian police - entered Kosova from Serbia just past 7 o'clock in the morning.
Meanwhile, at 9 o'clock four Serbian tanks left the Dumosh airfield heading southward to
capital Prishtina.
Two Decomposing Bodies Found in Peran Village of Podujeva
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - Two decomposing bodies were found in Peran village,
municipality of Podujeva, on Thursday evening, local LDK sources said.
Serbian military has been deployed in the village, four km north of Podujeva, for a couple
of months now.
A number of Albanians have reported missing in the area since January, when Serbian
military and police forces cracked down on Podujeva villages, sending the local population
fleeing their homes.
One Albanian Wounded in Sibofc, Two Kidnapped in Hamidi
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - During the Serbian shelling of the Sibofc village, Idriz T.
Gashi (70), a local resident, was wounded, local LDK sources in Obiliq reported. He was
taken out of the village by OSCE verifiers.
Meanwhile, sources said two Albanian brothers, one of them named Halit Krasniqi, were
kidnapped by Serbian forces in Hamidi village on Tuesday morning. They have been
unaccounted for ever since.
Another Albanian, Enver Osmani (1971), resident of Dardhishtė ('Krusevac') village, has
been unaccounted for since 27 February when Serb police arrested him in Lajthishtė
village of Obiliq.
He was arrested while returning home from work with "Elektroekonomia e
Kosovės".
Unidentified Body Found in Biraq Mountains, Suhareka Area
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - The body of an unidentified man, in his mid-thirties, was
found today morning in the Biraq mountains, near the Suhareka-Duhėl roadway, local LDK
sources said.
The residents of Grejkoc and Korishė villages, who fled their homes yesterday amidst an
increased Serb forces' activity, started trickling back today, sources added.
Two UĒK Soldiers Found Killed in Kaēanik Highlands Area
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - Two UĒK soldiers, Milaim Gani Loku (1965), and Emėrllah
Nexhip Kuēi (1965), both of them residents of Kotlinė village in the Kaēanik highlands,
were found killed on Wednesday.
They were killed on 9 March at Kotlinė, but their bodies had remained uncollected ever
since.
Eight UĒK fighters have died and nine others have been wounded in the Kaēanik and Hani i
Elezit area during the fighting earlier this month, Kosovapress reported.
A heavy Serbian military and police presence has been reported in Hani i Elezit area.
Shooting Reported in Bellacerkė Village of Rahovec
PRISHTINA, March 18 (KIC) - Shooting from small arms was heard in the village of
Bellacerkė, municipality of Rahovec, just before noon today (Thursday), local LDK sources
said.
Serb police raided many Albanian families, and arrested members of the Kelmendi family.
Many village residents fled their homes in fear.
A police expedition headed towards Bellacerkė and Xėrxė villages today morning.
An Albanian youth, Bekim Ukė Popaj (18), was arrested Wednesday evening in his native
Bellacerkė village and was held in police custody overnight, to only be released today at
the intervention of the OSCE verifiers, local LDK sources said.
Meanwhile, four Albanians were convicted yesterday on trumped up political ('terrorism')
charges in the Serb-run court in Prizren.
Nysret I. Hoti (1970) was sentenced to 4 years in prison, Isak H. Hoti (1974) to 5 and a
half years imprisonment, Sokol H. Morina (1945) to five years, and Vehbi M. Muharremi
(1968) to 8 years in prison. They are residents of Ratkoc and Drenoc villages,
municipality of Rahovec.
The Albanians had been arrested on 19 July, at the heat of the Serbian offensive in the
Rahovec area.
Kosova Impasse Turns 'Ominous' NATO Prepares for Strikes on
Serbia
By Charles Trueheart Washington Post Foreign Service Thursday, March 18, 1999; Page A01
PARIS, March 17—Diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Kosova were at an apparent dead
end today, as the Yugoslav army continued to mass troops, tanks and artillery in and
around the Serbian province in preparation for what U.S. officials called a
"large-scale conflict."
"The signs are extremely ominous," a senior U.S. official said following a third
day of talks in which the Yugoslav-Serbian delegation continued to demand major changes in
the proposed peace accord that Western negotiators deemed unacceptable.
With the negotiations at an impasse, NATO turned to the possibility of launching punitive
airstrikes against Yugoslavia, a prospect that gained urgency because of growing concern
about the buildup of Yugoslav army forces.
Gen. Wesley Clark, NATO's supreme commander, said in congressional testimony in Washington
that Serbian forces were "prepared to resume the conflict on a very large scale
should these peace talks fail to result in an agreement or should they conclude that for
some reason NATO wasn't serious in its expressed intent" to take military action
against Yugoslavia.
A Pentagon official told lawmakers a NATO attack could come at any time. "There is
broad consensus that, if necessary -- and it may be necessary quite soon -- that NATO is
prepared to use military force," Undersecretary of Defense Walter Slocombe said.
Only the Kosova side has agreed to the brokered deal granting broad autonomy to the
majority ethnic Albanian province, and officials said the talks likely would conclude on
Thursday or Friday with a formal signing of the peace accord by the Albanian delegation.
"We would not anticipate any further progress," said Christopher Hill, the U.S.
ambassador to Macedonia and the chief U.S. negotiator at the talks.
The Pentagon says as many as 21,000 Yugoslav army troops have been positioned on the
perimeter of Kosova, a province of Serbia, Yugoslavia's dominant republic, about half of
them in the past two weeks. In recent days, Yugoslavia has moved seven upgraded T-72
battle tanks into northern Kosova, and ethnic Albanian rebels reported the Yugoslavs are
stationing antiaircraft batteries in the mountains north of Prishtina, Kosova's capital.
Sporadic shelling by Serbian forces of ethnic Albanian strongholds was reported in Kosova
today, and international monitors in the province observed movements of Yugoslav tanks,
armored personnel carriers and trucks. About 7,000 ethnic Albanians fled their homes in
southern Kosova after Serbian security forces shelled their village, a U.N. refugee agency
spokesman said, according to the Reuters news agency.
Western sources said NATO has decided on its targets for cruise missile and air attacks.
The first action, officials said, would be "message strikes," targeting control
and command centers. They would be limited and designed to get Belgrade to quickly back
down. If that fails, the attacks will escalate steadily, the officials said.
Some Western officials fear that the Yugoslav army has plans to attack secessionist Kosova
Liberation Army (KLA) positions in the two- to three-day window between a final decision
by NATO to proceed with military action and the first airstrikes on Serbian territory. One
Western official said the Serbs have said they could "wipe the KLA out in three
days."
Several Western officials, however, said this was far too optimistic, given that rebel
forces have proved resilient to Serb assaults in recent battles.
In a sign of growing Western concern, international monitors today began preparing for a
withdrawal from Kosova, possibly as soon as this weekend, Western officials said.
Western mediators reported that the Yugoslav-Serbian delegation again today proposed
substantial changes to the political part of the settlement and refused to negotiate about
the "implementation" side of the deal.
The plan envisions a multinational, mostly European NATO-led force of 28,000 troops to
guarantee the security of the province after the secessionist rebels are
"demilitarized" and Yugoslav forces withdraw. A civilian successor to the
current unarmed Kosova Verification Mission also would help monitor the three-year interim
peace accord.
"These are issues that were clearly part of coming to Paris in the first place,"
said Wolfgang Petritsch, the Austrian diplomat who represents the European Union at the
talks.
The mediators said they would meet Thursday with conference co-chairmen Hubert Vedrine and
Robin Cook, the foreign ministers of France and Britain, to decide whether to adjourn the
talks immediately.
Russian envoy Boris Maiorsky, who along with Hill and Petritsch has been conducting the
negotiations, took issue with Western assertions that the Serbs were responsible for the
impasse. "One signature, unfortunately, does not make an agreement," he said.
"It takes two to tango. This is the rule of any dance."
U.S. and European officials said today there were no plans for any special diplomatic
missions to Belgrade to meet with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, although they
were not ruled out.
State Department spokesman James P. Rubin, on a visit to Paris, said Secretary of State
Madeleine K. Albright had invited Hashim Thaqi, the young Albanian guerrilla who has
emerged as leader of the ethnic Albanian delegation, to Washington, perhaps as early as
this weekend. He would be accompanied by the other Kosova delegates.
The visit, a senior U.S. official said, would be in the context of "developing a
relationship with these people," including "the significant new power center of
the KLA." |
