OHR SRT News Summary, 9 April 1999 - Office of the High Representative

Headlines

On the 17th day of NATO aggression against the FRY – new destruction and new civilian casualties – Kragujevac and Smederevo the most affected
Yeltsin warns NATO not to push Russia into Yugoslav conflict – this could lead to a new European, or even a world war
The White House’s response – we expect you to stay aside
Have Russian nuclear missiles been shifted to target NATO member states involved in the aggression against the FRY?
Not only do NATO aggressors not give up on their attacks, but also announce intention to intensify them
Today is Good Friday – the day of Christ’s suffering and death

The most violent NATO bombings last night were those against the Kragujevac-based vehicle factory called “Zastava”. About 124 workers of the factory who were there to protect it were injured. NATO also bombed Divcibare, Smederevo, the area of Belgrade, the town of Pristina, and the area of the town of Jagodina. The FRY Army reports on an artillery attack launched from Albania against a FRY Army post on the border with this country.

Russian President Yeltisn has warned NATO not to push Russia to get involved in the conflict in the FRY as, Yeltsin has added, it will certainly lead to a new European or even a world war.

The President of the Russian DUMA, Genady Selezniov, has today supported a proposal by the FRY leadership on the FRY joining the union of Russia and Belorussia.

President Milosevic of Yugoslavia held a joint meeting today with the respective delegations of Russian Generals and Cossack atamans. No specifics as to the nature of the topics discussed have been made public.

President Milosevic and the Acting President of Cyprus, Spyros Cyprianu are still in a meeting which started at around 15:30 h hrs this afternoon. Cyprianu is believed to have arrived in Belgrade to discuss a wide range of issues with Milosevic, and not only the release of the three U.S. soldiers.

Referring to reliable Russian sources, the Intertas news agency has reported that 50 NATO soldiers have lost their lives since the beginning of the NATO aggression against the FRY. NATO, however, keeps denying reports on their casualties in the FRY.

The French Minister of Defence, Alain Richard, has today denied reports by the Daily telegraph newspaper claiming that the NATO alliance withholds certain information related to air strikes against the FRY from France.

The Czech Foreign Minister today claimed that NATO had still not planned to launch any land operations in Kosovo and that no requests had yet been made to the Czech Republic to get involved in such operations.

The UN SG, Kofi Annan, today appealed to the FRY authorities to accept the five conditions for the cessation of air strikes against the FRY. Stressing that compliance with the requests would be an introduction to new negotiations, Annan said that a peaceful solution of the crisis could only be reached though diplomatic means.

U.S. President, Bill Clinton, today stated that the U.S. would not accept the results of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

A regular NATO briefing took place in Brussels.

At a press conference of the British Ministry of Defence today, the British Foreign Minister, Robin Cook, referred to the initiative on the FRY joining the union of Russia and Belorussia and assessed that would not be interested in isolating its interests in the Balkans by supporting Milosevic. Cook went on to deny claims that France was providing the FRY Army with confidential information on the NATO alliance.

Members of the Portuguese Parliament, at their most recent session, put the symbol of a target, which is a “trade mark” of all protest rallies in the country and abroad, on their chest as a sign of their solidarity with the FRY.

The Steering Board of the FRY Association of Journalists today appealed to all journalists to gather around the building of RTS this evening and thus protect it from a possible NATO bombing.

SKT News has reported that UNHCR is going to take over Albanian refugee camps in Macedonia that were established by NATO. This has caused strong concerns amongst Albanian refugees who do not seem to be liked by the Macedonian police or citizens.

The respective caucuses of the RS parliamentary parties held a consultative meeting in Bijeljina last nigh. (statement released from the meting read in full).

(Report on masses served and wishes addressed by state officials on the occasion of the Orthodox Good Friday and Easter).

Representatives of the RS Association of Veterans have, in the past few days, been visiting their colleagues in the FRY. Veterans of the two countries have jointly condemned the NATO aggression against the FRY and stressed the urgent need to establish a government of national unity in the RS. The President of the RS Association, Bojic, has warned SFOR that RS veterans will no longer tolerate murders of RS citizens nor activities against the FRY.

The HR for BiH, Carlos Westendorp, today released a public statement commenting on the situation in the RS in the light of the NATO aggression against the FRY. (statement read in full).

News from the BiH Federation.

Dissatisfied with the conditions in a collective centre in Petrovac, several hundred Albanian refugees from Kosovo have, of their own will, left the centre and the town and started walking towards the border with the Republic of Croatia.