Headlines
- Holbrooke passed on the warning by the Contact Group to Milosevic
- U.S. Congress starts an initiative on the removal of President Clinton
- U.S. Ambassador in BiH held separate meetings with Plavsic, Poplasen and Dodik
- Westendorp warns BiH politicians to refrain from voicing biased positions in public
- Vote of non-confidence in the Government of Roman Prodi
(selection of Kosovo-related issues) Richard Holbrooke and President Milosevic held a four-hour meeting in Belgrade today to discuss the Kosovo issue. Before the meeting, Holbrooke told the press that he was going to warn Milosevic of increased activities preparing for possible NATO military action in Kosovo, in the event of Milosevic failing to fulfill the six conditions set up by the Contact Group at their meeting in London last night. Holbrooke and Milosevic are now expected to resume discussions this evening.
1:58
According to American diplomatic sources, Germany, at the meeting of the Contact Group in London last night, expressed some reservation in terms of a possible NATO intervention in Kosovo without waiting for a green light by the UN Security Council. The newly elected German President is today visiting the States where he will be meeting with President Clinton to discuss, amongst others, the issue of the Kosovo crisis. AP have reported that Clinton will try to get German support for the position taken by the U.S. Administration and claiming that no new resolution by the UN Security Council should be necessary in the event of a NATO intervention in Kosovo.
1:57
The Contact Group, at their meeting last night, set six conditions to be fulfilled by President Milosevic. The six conditions are: to cease offensive activities by military and public security units and their withdrawal to the positions as they were in March; ensuring that humanitarian organisations have access to the area; cooperation with the Hague Tribunal; creating conditions for the return of refugees and the resumption of dialogue with the Kosovo Albanians.
0:25
The Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, today reiterated the Russian position according to which the Kosovo crisis must be resolved through exclusively peaceful means. The use of NATO force in Kosovo must not be allowed, Yeltsin stressed.
0:41
The Italian Prime Minister, Roman Prodi, warned Western countries to think twice before launching a military action in Kosovo. Any such action, Prodi stressed, must be given a green light by the UN Security Council.
0:19
According to a news report by Tanjug, the U.S. media have started increasingly to claim that the ongoing crisis in the U.S. internally was closely connected to a possible demonstration of U.S. military force in Kosovo.
01:07
The U.S. Special Envoy for the Balkans, Robert Gelbard, and the Montenegrin President, Milo Djukanovic, today agreed in Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro) that there was no alternative to a political settlement to the Kosovo crisis and that the UN Security Council Resolution 1199 should be implemented without delay.
0:45
The leader of Kosovo Albanians, Ibrahim Rugova, today stated that he did not see a possible NATO intervention in Kosovo as an attack against the state of Yugoslavia, but rather as an attempt to defend the Albanian people in Kosovo. Rugova went on to claim that Kosovo, just like all other republics of the former SFRY, should have the right to be independent.
0:38
A decision by the Serbian Government involving special measures related to the work and the responsibility of the Serbian media has, today, become effective. OSCE reacted by condemning the decision banning local media from re-broadcasting programmes of foreign radio stations in Serb language, including BBC, Voice of America and others, and requested that the ban should be lifted immediately. The same was the attitude of the Serbian Association of Independent Electronic Media and the Association of Independent Journalists.
2:21
The U.S. Ambassador in BiH, Richard Kauzlarich, visited Banja Luka today. After meeting the newly elected RS President, Nikola Poplasen, behind closed doors, Kauzlarich met with Prime Minister Dodik. Kauzlarich stated that the U.S. continued to strongly support Dodik’s Government and its policy to ensure the implementation of the DA. In this context, Kauzlarich added, we are also supporting the “Sloga” Coalition. On the Kosovo crisis reflecting in the RS, Kauzlarich said: “I expressed my Government’s and my deep concern about statements by SDS and SRS officials regarding a possible military intervention in Kosovo.” Kauzlarich also met with RS President Plavsic on the role of the RS Government in implementing the DA and on the Kosovo crisis.
2:14
The Speaker of the RS Parliament, Petar Djokic, has made a decision postponing the planned consultative meeting of respective presidents of RS parliamentary parties and coalitions until 15th October.
0:21
At a regular international press conference in Sarajevo, the Spokesperson for the OHR, Simon Haselock, stated that the HR had warned all politicians in BiH to refrain from making biased or inflammatory statements if the IC should move to take measures in the event of the Kosovo crisis further deteriorating. The HR, Haselock added, will not hesitate to take appropriate measures against those who will work in violation of these principles. The message by the HR relates to all media across BiH, which need to ensure balanced reporting. The message also applies to the re-broadcasting of inflammatory programmes of neighboring countries which are signatories to the DA.
1:48
A session of the SDS Main Board is currently ongoing in Doboj. The session is expected to adopt the conclusions made at the meeting of the SDS Main Executive Board and discuss the decision banning the Deputy President of the party, Dragan Cavic, from performing any public functions in the RS. A press statement is expected to be released after the meeting which is being held behind closed doors.
0:42
The Spokesperson for the RS SP, at a press conference today, stated that the position of the SP RS on Kosovo was that the crisis there could be resolved in a peaceful way. A military intervention would only complicate the situation in BiH, and lead to its national homogenisation due to different positions of Bosnian political parties and nations on the issue. Commenting on yesterday’s decision by the HR depriving Dragan Cavic of his legislative mandate, Radojcic added that the SP RS was against such administrative decisions removing political representatives and their parties.
01:05
A press statement has, today, been released by the RS Ministry of Information saying that the RS has been allocated over KM 1 billion as donations and loans by Western European countries and the United States until 30th September this year.
0:30