- Two Children Killed and One Heavily Wounded in NATO Air Attack on Village of Radoste in Orahovac
- NATO Intensified Attacks, 650 Flights Carried out
- Chernomyrdin, Talbott and Ahtisaari Continued Talks on Solution of Kosovo Crisis
- 73 Political Parties and 10 Independent Candidates Submitted Registration Requests to OSCE
- India Commenced Air Raids on Positions of Muslim Guerrillas in Kashmir
Two children were killed and one was heavily wounded in this morning’s bombing on the Village of Radoste, west of Orahovac in Kosovo. In the last 24 hours, according to reports of agencies, NATO has been conducting the strongest attacks on the FRY since the beginning of the aggression. During last night and this morning, NATO shelled civilian targets in Novi Sad and surroundings, Kosovo, Vujanovac, Kursumliju, Leskovac, Pirot, Uzice, Sabac Pozarevac, Bor, Prahovo and area of Smederevo.
Correspondent from FRY: Units of Yugoslav Air Defence shot down a pilotless aircraft, at about 11:10 AM. Parts of the aircraft fell on the ground in the area between Kosovska Lisina and the Village of Letvica. Radio Belgrade informs that Yugoslav Air Defence shot down three NATO aircraft, two bombers and one reconnaissance aircraft, above Pozarevac, Velika Plana and Bor.
A group of 26 US Congressmen, embittered about Clinton’s aggressive politics and shelling of Yugoslavia, pressed charges against the US President at a Regional Court in Washington, requesting the Court to force him to abide by the Constitution and the Laws which he violated by unilaterally deciding on aggression against Yugoslavia and on the war into which he pushed America.
According to Srna, negotiations of Special Russian Envoy, Chernomyrdin, Deputy US State Secretary, Talbott and Finnish President, Ahtisaari, dedicated to solving the Kosovo crisis commenced in Moscow. Chernomyrdin and Talbott had a meetng beforehand that lasted longer than planned, 2.5 hours instead of 30 minutes. Talbott also previously met with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivanov.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of US and Germany, Albright and Fischer, started a new series of diplomatic consultations on solution of Kosovo crisis, last night in Washington.
Italian and British Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Dini and Cook, emphasised in Rome that an agreement on Kosovo needs to be achieved, but that NATO should continue military pressure for as long as Belgrade refuses to withdraw its troops from the region.
France Press reports that UN Secretary General, Annan addressed an appeal from Stockholm to find a political solution to the conflict in Kosovo, so that the suffering of the Yugoslav population would be ended, regardless of their nationality.
According to Tanjug, Assistant to UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Pedersen stated in Moscow that it is necessary to stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Balkans immediately. In other words, shelling on Yugoslavia must cease immediately, or otherwise one can expect thousands of casualties among the refugees who currently live in vary bad conditions in the refugee camps.
Leader of the Kosovo Democratic Union, Rugova, arrived to Macedonia where he visited the refugee camp in Stenkovac. Rugova should meet with the President of Macedonia, Gligorov, in Skoplje.
According to Reuters, Chairman of the ICRC, Samaruga considers that physical, political and psychological space has to be created in Kosovo urgently for activities of humanitarian agencies.
Tanjug reports Yugoslav Ambassador in the UN, Jovanovic, stated in an interview to today’s issue of Spanish daily “El Pais” that Yugoslavia is ready to talk, with mediation of the UN, on full autonomy for Kosovo, but is not ready to accept the Kosovo right for secession or to accept a protectorate in its sovereign territory.
According to Beta, Podgorica daily “Vijesti” informs that the Government of Montenegro defined its platform for tomorrow’s meeting in Bonn, at which a NATO proposal for stability in South-East Europe, will be considered. In the platform, Montenegro requests full guarantee of statehood, provision of sovereignty and territorial integrity, support for economic and political reforms.
President of Social-Democratic Party of Montenegro, Rakocevic assessed that the platform of Montenegro delegation is a necessary, but an insufficient and inadequate step.
The SPO informs today that parts of the interview by President of the SPO, Vuk Draskovic to French daily “Parisienne” were misinterpreted.
Reuters reports that the trial of two Australians, representatives of humanitarian agency “Care”, arrested by the Yugoslav authorities on charges of espionage at the end of March, started today at the Military Court in Belgrade.
At today’s NATO press briefing in Brussels, NATO Spokesman, Shea stated that NATO planes had carried out 650 flights in the last 24 hours. Shea expressed the hope that this number of flights would be surpassed in the coming days, as the weather forecasts are favorable. He stated that NATO had approved the operational plan for deployment of ground troops in Kosovo. General Jertz stated that NATO had so far carried out 27,110 flights. He denied the news that a NATO “Harrier” plane was shot down over Yugoslavia.
President of the BiH Presidency, Radisic, RS Vice President, Sarovic, RS PM Dodik, RS NA Speaker, Djokic and RS Minister of Internal Affairs, Novic today had separate meetings with German Envoy for Return of Refugees, Reintegration, Economic-Social and Humanitarian Problems in BiH, Koschnick.
The IC, and especially the EU should show more understanding for difficulties in BiH and the RS caused by the crisis in the FRY and to provide financial assistance for overcoming of the difficulties, stated Co-Chairman of the BiH CoM, Mihajlovic, during today’s meeting with Ambassador of Belgium to BiH, De Vriece.