OHR SRT News Summary, 24 May 1999 - Office of the High Representative

Headlines

NATO Aviation Damaged Five Most Significant Capacities in Attack on Serbia’s Electricity System
Threat of Humanitarian Catastrophe in Disappearance of Electric Power in 70% of Serbian Territory
NATO Officially Announces Intensification of Air Raids
RS PM, Milorad Dodik States: Serb Refugees from Croatia Will Have Right to Vote in Forthcoming Parliamentary Elections

According to Yugoslav sources, in the past two months of NATO air raids more than 1,000 civilians were killed, several thousands of people were wounded, many infrastructure facilities were destroyed, hospitals, schools and kindergartens. Simultaneously, several hundreds of thousands Shquiptars left Kosovo as refugees.

FRY correspondent: According to Information Office of Yugoslav Army, NATO bombers shelled the electric power facilities in Serbia for the third night in a row. Destructive missiles hit “Elektro-Istok” in Nis, thermo-electric power plant “Drmno” and “Elektro Vojvodina” in the vicinity of Novi Sad. “Ponikve” Airport and Uzice area were shelled in the afternoon, as well as the Novi Sad refinery. NATO bombers targeted the wider area of Belgrade, Sremska Mitrovica, Sabac, Sombor, and for the first time Crvenka. Wider area of Kosovo was also shelled last night, and the Radio Television “Studio B” informs that cassette bombs were thrown on a settlement in Urosevac.

Reactions of international officials:

Special Russian Envoy for Balkans, Chernomyrdin, after a meeting with Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singh, in Moscow, stated that it was extremely difficult to negotiate while NATO was strengthening its bombing of Yugoslavia. He believed that he had convinced NATO in the past three weeks of negotiations, that a part of the Yugoslav armed forces could stay in Kosovo.

Commander of Russian Air Force, Kornukov stated that the Russian leadership, was considering the possibility of allocating additional funds for defence, due to NATO raids. It was suggested that additional funds should be directed to maintenance of the air force and troops of anti-air defence, including land and sea components.

NATO Secretary General, Solana, in a statement to AP Television, emphasised that, after two months of bombing, there were signs that FRY President, Milosevic was ready to ease up.

British Defence Minister, Robertson stated that NATO troops would be following up the return of Kosovo refugees with or without consent of the Yugoslav President.

Italian PM, D’Alema rejected the possibility of NATO ground troops’ intervention in Yugoslavia.

German Minister of Defence, Scharping emphasised after a visit to a refugee camp in Macedonia, that the air campaign against Yugoslavia was having results, and that NATO should not exclude the possibility of strengthening it.

According to Tanjug, the Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister, at NATO HQ in Brussels, advocated cessation of air raids on Yugoslavia, which would enable adoption of the UN Security Council resolution for solving the Kosovo crisis.

A Greek-Czech Peace Plan for Balkans, signed this weekend in Peking by Foreign Affairs Ministers of the two countries, Papandreu and Kavar, has no intention to be a parallel initiative, but rather an addition to peace efforts. The Plan will be suggested by the two countries to NATO Council in Brussels tomorrow.

As reported by Beta, according to officials of the Kosovo Province, about a 100 prisoners and employees in the prison in Istok were killed, while 200 were severely of slightly injured in the recent NATO attacks.

According to the FRY Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the shelling of the Belgrade hospital “Dragisa Misovic”, where 4 people were killed and dozens injured, Yugoslav diplomatic offices addressed the main offices of international agencies in Geneva, New York and Brussels with a request for condemnation of this attack, punishing of those responsible and cessation of aggression.

Commenting on consequences which the health services are facing after destruction of the electric power system, Serbian Minister of Health, Milicevic emphasised that this jeopardized the lives of 4,000 patients undergoing dialysis, and all other patients reling on medical machinery.

Commander of Pristina Corps of Yugoslav Army, General Major Lazarevic, denied the claims of NATO officials, that Yugoslav troops in Kosovo will be destroyed in 2 months.

Chairman of the Montenegro Constitutional Court, Mitric, told the Podgorica daily “Pobjeda” that the constitutional authority and functions of the FRY Army are being misused legally and politically.

Montenegro Secretariat of Information today rejected the claims of the Command of the Second Army of Yugoslavia and Navy, that a part of the Montenegro media was leading a propaganda campaign against the Yugoslav Army.

Serb Radical Party representatives stated today that, despite the bombing of civilian facilities, the Serb people would never allow the territory held by Serbs for centuries to be occupied.

President of the DPS, Kostunica, at today’s press conference accused President of Montenegro, Djukanovic, of using the situation of war to strengthen his position in relation to the people.

The Yugoslav Red Cross was visited by a delegation of the Red Cross from Greece, which brought medicine as humanitarian aid. Deputy Secretary of the UN for Humanitarian Affairs, Demello, accused Belgrade of being responsible for delaying humanitarian assistance for Montenegro.

A Humanitarian concert “One night for the children of Yugoslavia” was held yesterday in Paris, where 10,000 francs were collected for humanitarian assistance to the children.

At the regular press briefing at NATO HQ in Brussels, Director of the Information Centre, Zimberi, said that the Kosovo Albanians give 100% support to NATO air campaign and consider that it should be intensified. General Jertz said that NATO aviation had been shelling troops in the western part of Kosovo during the last 24 hours. Spokesman Daniel spoke about the difficult situation in the refugee camps in Macedonia.

Delegations of journalists from the RS and Yugoslavia assessed today in Belgrade that Serb journalists were united in the struggle for spreading the truth about people’s suffering in the situation of aggression.

RS PM, Dodik and RS Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Loncar, at today’s press conference spoke about the donors’ conference in Brussels at which international financiers allocated $1,052 billion for reconstruction and development of BiH. Dodik expressed the hope that 40% of the amount would be allocated to the RS.

President of the BiH Presidency, Radisic and Speaker of the RS NA, Djokic in separate meetings spoke with Ambassador of Slovenia, Mirosic in Banja Luka today.

Minister of Civil Affairs and Communications in the BiH CoM, Asanin, met today in Srpsko Sarajevo with Swedish Ambassador to BiH, Eliason and SIDA representatives.