Headlines
With appalling crime, by bombing the RTS in Belgrade, NATO marked its 50th birthday today- RTS building in Belgrade under bombs, too; 10 killed, 18 injured, and at least 20 under ruins
- NATO targets – Belgrade, Novi Sad, Uzice, Cacak, Krusevac, Nis, Pristina, Vranje, Pancevo
- Numerous condemnation of the NATO aggression on the freedom of speech
- 50th anniversary of NATO celebrated in Washington
- Djokic announced that the Chief Arbitrator Roberts Owen had prolonged the deadline for submission of complaints regarding the arbitration award on Brcko for another 30 days
RTS Director General Dragoljub Milanovic stressed that NATO had in cold blood and precisely dropped the lethal cargo on the media house tonight, in which, at that moment, there were more than 100 people on their working posts.
Footage of the destroyed building
The International Federation of Journalists is deeply concerned with NATO attacks on the RTS in the center of Belgrade, since the Alliance has in that way broken its promise that it would target only the military objectives, the AP reports.
The workers of the SRT gathered today to pay sincere condolences to the families of the killed RTS workers with a minute of silence. Andjelko Kozomara, SRT Director General sent a letter of support to Dragoljub Milanovic, RTS Director General, and to all the RTS employees. (letter read)
Regarding this morning’s bombing of the RTS building, the RS Ministry of Information expresses its most vehement protest and deepest bitterness due to this action of NATO aggressors. (press release partly read )
The RS Association of Journalists also expressed bitterness due to this morning’s NATO aggression on RTS. (press release partly read)
The RS Independent Association of Journalist is also astonished at the news that this morning’s target of the NATO aggressors’ attack on Yugoslavia was the RTS building. (press release partly read)
All radio and TV stations in the RS accepted the initiative of the RS Association Journalists and expressed protest due to killing of their colleges journalists and destroying of the RTS building with a 5-minute media silence at 18:00 hrs this evening.
SDS and SPRS expressed protest against NATO aggression on FRY today. (press releases partly read)
BiH Presidency Chairman Zivko Radisic condemned the escalation of NATO bombing on Yugoslavia, especially the objectives in Belgrade. (press release partly read)
Minister of Information of Serbia condemns NATO for its attack on the RTS building, which he assesses as an attempt to kill the truth about their crimes in FRY, the press release says.
Yugoslav Minister of Information Goran Mitrovic stated in Belgrade that the attack on the RTS represents, as Tanjug reports, the monstrous and so far unseen crime.
The German TV network AMD organized a protest of foreign journalist in the hotel Hyatt today regarding the criminal attack of NATO aggressors on RTS and killing of the colleges.
Media throughout the world in the prime time news broadcast the information on the RTS destruction. In their reports, the foreign media repeat the explanations of the NATO officials that the RTS was a part of the propaganda machinery and as such it was a legitimate military target. (Coverage by CNN,SKY News, BBC, media from Moscow and Rome, German, Austrian, American press)
The units of the Yugoslav anti-air defense in last night’s conflicts in the area of Kursumlija shot down two NATO airplanes, SRNA carries referring to the news broadcast by radio Nis.
Report on the consequences of the attacks carried out in the course of the day (Belgrade, Krusevac, Jagodina, Cacak, Kopaonik, Uzice, Nis, Novi Sad, Fruska Gora) NATO attacks on objectives in the vicinity of Pristina started this evening around 19:00 hr, when the picnic area Grmija and the settlement of Ajvalija, inhabited by Shquipttars, were targeted.
The NATO summit on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this military Alliance commenced in Washington today. Opening the summit, Solana said that NATO was united on the issue of the air campaign against Yugoslavia aimed at establishing democracy in Kosovo. Clinton stated that Milosevic was realizing his goals by force, while NATO realizes its goals by peaceful way. NATO spokesperson Shea did not say anything about the RTS building being targeted in Belgrade. The TV stations SKY News and CNN interrupted broadcasting of today’s NATO press conference, which was held in Washington, after report of James Shea and General Freytag, so the viewers were not able to follow the entire course of the conference, which has not been the case so far.
Shea said that Milosevic wants to expel majority of Albanians from Kosovo and destabilize the neighboring countries, but, as he said, Milosevic has not reached its goals and the KLA has not been eliminated either. General Freytag claims that all NATO airplanes returned to the base.
In Pentagon, Kenneth Bacon said that the strikes against Yugoslavia are to be intensively continued.Bacon said that the authorities in Belgrade did not allow the Red Cross to visit three captured American soldiers, while Red Cross pays regular visits to the captured Serb soldier who is in the hands of NATO. He went on to say that every hit target is approved, since they are all military targets. He said that NATO has never claimed that there would be no civil casualties.
In the British Ministry of Defense, Clare Short confirmed that the RTS building was hit, since it was the source of propaganda and only prolonged the war, adding that that same Serb propaganda did not say anything about the crimes of the Serb army in Kosovo. She said that the refugees are in a very difficult situation and that those who crossed the border consider themselves saved.
General Garnett said that British Ministry of Defense had no information on human casualties in last night’s attack. President of the Russia state Duma Gennadi Seleznyov stated today that introduction of NATO ground troops in Yugoslavia is absolutely inadmissible.
Chief of Italian Diplomacy Lamberto Dini stated that he was not an anti American, but that USA cannot be a world gendarme. He went on to say that Europe must have more serious and its own role in the world. Chernomyrdin is ready to meet tomorrow with the leaders of NATO to negotiate on ending of the conflict in FRY, Reuters reports.
Consequences of NATO aggression on Yugoslavia; large number of refugees and DP in Monte Negro (report)
Ecological situation in Yugoslavia, as a consequence of the NATO aggression on that country, causes serious concern of Russia, Viktor Danilov stated. Franz Weber, the world ecologist, reacted on the NATO aggression by sending a fiery appeal to the American president Clinton to stop the war against Yugoslavia (parts of the letter read)
The RS, by holding rallies, condemns the aggression of NATO on Yugoslavia (report from Brcko)
Djokic informed that Chief Arbitrator Roberts Owen had prolonged the deadline for submission of complaints regarding the arbitration award on Brcko for another 30 days.
Djokic spoke in Brcko today with the Brcko new mayor Sinisa Kisic.
The RS Vice President Mirko Sarovic received in Srpsko Sarajevo today Robert Barry and presented him with the efforts which are being put in overcoming of the political crisis in the RS.
OHR welcomed yesterday’s decision of CoM on cessation of the application of preferential treatment of imported goods from Croatia and Yugoslavia, was stated from OHR.
FBiH-related news