News_cetvrtak

Thursday March 25, 1999

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Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Thursday held a meeting of the country's top leadership.

Reviewed and assessed at the meeting was the military and political situation after the US-led NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The state leadership assessed that, with the criminal strikes of the aggressor's air forces, a serious crime has been committed against the people of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Considered were the consequences of the aggressor's hitherto activities and it was concluded that Yugoslav Army members had offered resolute resistance to our enemies, whereby expressing high patriotic awareness, courage and devotion. It was assessed that all the necessary measures, imposed by the situation, had been successfully realized. Determined were the measures that are to be carried out on the internal and international plane for the sake of the further resolute defense of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and constitutional order of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the freedom and dignity of its citizens and the international affirmation of our just struggle.

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With the beginning of NATO's aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Yugoslav Army commands and units, civilians are volunteering in large numbers to join in the defense of the country, announced on Thursday the information service of the Yugoslav Army's general staff.

The Yugoslav Army's general staff informs the public that, under the Law on the Yugoslav Army, accepted as volunteers are over-age citizens up to 65 years of age. For the purpose of organized reception and distribution, volunteers should report to the commands of military districts and departments where reception centers have been established. Our citizens abroad and foreign citizens who wish voluntarily to join the ranks of Yugoslavia's defenders, can report to our country's diplomatic and consular missions abroad, where they will obtain more detailed instructions, the statement says.

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The president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the supreme commander of the Yugoslav armed forces, Slobodan Milosevic, issued an order on Thursday morning commending the units and command of the Yugoslav air force and anti-aircraft defense, the command of the Third Army District and the Yugoslav Army's Pristina corps for successfully performing their combat duties in resisting the NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The statement has been issued by the supreme commander's military cabinet.

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Nato carried out an aggression against FR Yugoslavia because we refused to be obedient vassals and did not wish to renounce part of our own territory, the Yugoslav Justice Minister announced.

The aggression carried out against FR Yugoslavia pointed to the fact that Nato did not respect the norms of international law and that small countries must obey their dictate and the alleged commitment to the defence of human rights and liberties and the maintenance of stability and peace in the world are only a guise for the achievement of well-known and well-conceived global goals and interests of this military alliance. For this reason, Nato destructive activities in which civilian facilities and innocent citizens, who only love and defend their country, are harmed, rank this organization among the perpetrators of the most horrible crimes against humanity and international humanitarian law for which they will, sooner or later, answer before the international community, a statement from the Yugoslav Justice Ministry said.

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In regard to the Nato aggression against FR Yugoslavia, which represents an unprecedented criminal act in international relations and the most direct support for Albanian terrorists, the Yugoslav defence ministry said it had taken and continued to take all measures and activities in line with its competencies to ensure conditions for an efficient resistance to the aggressor and the protection of the population and material goods. The Defence Ministry highly esteems the resolve, efficiency and patriotism of the Yugoslav Army's units and commands in responding to Nato airstrikes and the behaviour and activities of the population and all other structures of this country's system.

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Due to the crimes against the nation of FR Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav government reached a decision to sever diplomatic relations with the government of the US, Great Britain, France and Germany.

With the aggression against FR Yugoslavia and the use of enormous military and destructive potentials, the governments of the US, Great Britain and France have humiliated and discredited the historic alliance and friendship between the nations of FR Yugoslavia and the nations of their states, and the German government has once again harmed the unhealed wounds of World War Two. The Yugoslav government decided to re-examine diplomatic and overall relations with other countries which directly or indirectly took part in the armed aggression against FR Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav government gave credit to the governments and nations of all those friendly countries which have demonstrated friendship, support and solidarity with FR Yugoslavia, its government and the nation in defence of the country's vital interests from the Nato aggression. The Yugoslav government also reviewed the current military and security situation in FR Yugoslavia following the Nato aggression and concluded that for the purpose of defending the country, all available material resources must be placed under the disposal of armed forces, primarily the Yugoslav Army and the Interior Ministry.

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On Thursday, Russia submitted to the Security Council member countries a draft resolution calling for an urgent cessation of the use of force against FR Yugoslavia and resumption of the talks on the settlement of the Kosmet problem.

The Russian draft says that the NATO military aggression against FR Yugoslavia means the unilateral use of force which represents a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and the principle of the sovereignty of states. The draft resolution Russia presented to the Security Council member countries calls for the confirmation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of FR Yugoslavia. Russian deputy ambassador to the UN, Yuriy Sedotov said that the draft would be tabled at Security Council consultations.

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The most resonsible representatives of the Italian parliament, government and senate are in constant contact with Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema who is to present a draft proposal on the cessation of the bombing to Italian MPs. The Italian government is intesively working on the proposal on urgently ending Nato airstrikes against FR Yugoslavia, the Ansa news agency reported. All parties of the ruling coalition are engeged in the working out of a draft for curbing Nato's aggression against Yugoslavia.

At the same time, Prime Minister D'Alema who is currently in Berlin at a summit of the EU, said that there was room for the renewal of the talks on the Kosmet crisis. At this moment it is necessary to return to politics and diplomacy. This will be our priority task in the next few hours, the Italian prime minister said.

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Yugoslavia has called on the United Nations urgently to stop the NATO aggression and to have the Security Council take all the necessary measures to this aim, as stipulated by the UN Charter.

This request was set out by the official head of the Yugoslav mission with the United Nations, Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic, at the Security Council session on Wednesday evening, at which the topic of discussion was the aggressive move by NATO and the United States, which have attacked sovereign Yugoslavia for no reason and with no cause. "I call on all the Security Council members to react swiftly and in accordance with the UN Charter, to condemn the act of aggression and take adequate measures for it immediately and unconditionally to be stopped, so that the problems can be resolved by political means", Jovanovic said. He stressed that the Yugoslav government was addressing an urgent appeal to all states categorically to oppose the aggression by NATO and the United States against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. If the aggression is not stopped immediately, a precedent will be made, which will, sooner or later, lead to an aggression against some other small and medium-sized country. The real question is: which country is next, said the Yugoslav ambassador. Jovanovic pointed out that NATO had performed the unilateral act of the most brutal and unprovoked aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a sovereign and independent country and a founding-state of the United Nations. Yugoslavia is threatening no one nor is it a threat to peace and stability in the region, he said. It has been attacked because it wanted to resolve its internal problems on its own and for defending its sovereignty and fighting against terrorists, thus preventing the secession of part of its territory. NATO has unmasked itself today, Jovanovic said. It ceased being a defensive military organization and instead became an aggressive military alliance, contrary to its own status, the UN Charter and the OSCE Paris Charter, as well as to the entire system of international relations based on the respect of the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was and is ready for a political solution, attaching absolute priority to this, but it cannot agree to the secession of Kosovo-Metohija. If the UN Security Council were not to offer protection to a member country exposed to aggression, this would be tantamount to destroying the entire system on which international peace and security are based. The question of the Security Council's credibility is being raised, as is the issue of who is responsible for maintaining peace and security, stressed the official head of the Yugoslav mission with the United Nations.

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Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic on Thursday received the Russian Federation's ambassador, Yuri Kotov, who handed him the message of Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the Russian leadership for President Slobodan Milosevic and the Yugoslav leadership, announced the Yugoslav foreign ministry.

Ambassador Kotov conveyed to the Yugoslav minister the bitterness of the Russian leadership and people in regard to the open NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a sovereign country, thus creating a dangerous precedent for the policy of dictates and endangering the entire international legal order. He also conveyed President Yeltsin's assessment that NATO was acting as the world policeman, to which Russia will never agree.

Ambassador Kotov informed Minister Jovanovic about the concrete steps the Russian Federation has taken and intends to take for the purpose of taking an adequate position regarding NATO's aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

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Russian President Boris Yeltsin on Thursday said that NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia represented Bill Clinton's serious mistake and warned that Moscow had a "spare option" as a response to this action, but that the decision on using these extreme measures had still not been taken.

NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia is a serious mistake of the Americans, the American diplomacy and Clinton, and they will have to account for this, assessed the Russian president addressing the press. The Russian president said that the decision of the United States and NATO to attack Yugoslavia was taken deliberately against the UN Charter, which is happening for the first time after World War II, the Itar Tass news agency reports. According to Yeltsin, his telephone conversation with US President Bill Clinton was a very difficult one. I told him that we had cooperated well on the destruction of strategic weaponry, whereby now everything had been brought into question, Yeltsin said. After talks between Yeltsin and Ivanov, the Kremlin announced that the Russian president had called on his foreign minister to request the convening of an urgent meeting of the Contact Group member countries in Moscow. After his talks with Yeltsin, Ivanov said that Moscow was sure peace could be restored in the Balkans only by political means.

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Chinese Defense Minister Chi Haotien on Thursday addressed a sharp request to NATO immediately to cease its aggression against Yugoslavia and to turn to a political resolution of the problems in Kosovo-Metohija.

Mr.Chi is the vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Chinese army's highest body, with President Jiang Zemin at its helm. China resolutely requests that NATO immediately cease its air strikes, so as to lower the tensions as soon as possible and to bring the issue of Kosovo-Metohija back to the road of a political solution and thus primarily to restore peace in the Balkan region. NATO's aggression has caused serious losses in the lives and property of innocent civilians, complicating the Kosmet issue and making the situation in the Balkans even more tense. Kosmet is Yugoslavia's internal affair and the international community must respect Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chi stressed.

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This is a black day for the world, the day when the UN Charter and international law were brutally violated, Willi Wimmer, the vice-chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, told radio WDR from Cologne, condemning NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia.

Wimmer stressed that the OSCE had invested efforts for over a year in resolving the crisis in Kosovo-Metohija by peaceful means, but that these efforts had been sabotaged by the Americans from the very beginning, and, as he pointed out, especially by the British. The US and Great Britain wanted at all costs to bomb Yugoslavia from the very beginning of the crisis, said Wimmer, accusing Washington and London of hypocrisy.

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The Temporary Executive Council of Kosovo-Metohija condemned at Thursday morning's session the brutal, fascist, bandit and unprovoked aggression against FR of Yugoslavia with the aim of seceding the southern Serbian province and giving it over to the terrorist command, the provincial information secretariat informed.

Terrorists will never succeed in achieving an ethnically pure Kosovo, not even with the help of NATo aggressors, the Council session stressed, adding that under the circumstances of our country being under attack, it was necessary for all the citizens to contribute personally to the unhindered functioning of public institutions and economic organizations, in order for life to continue normally.

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Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov has said that NATO attacks against Yugoslavia have created an enormous threat for the stability of the entire new world order.

Assessing that NATO's aggressive action against a sovereign country represented a flagrant breech of the UN Charter, Primakov said at an extraordinary government session that Russia would set out at Thursday's Security Council session its draft resolution on an urgent end of the aggression against Yugoslavia. Announced has also been the possibility of convening an urgent session of the Russian Parliament's Lower House,devoted to Russia's further steps concerning NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia. As announced, aggression against Yugoslavia will also be the first item on the agenda of Thursday's session of the Independent countries' Alliance's Council of Defence Ministers.

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The world public is mostly shocked and condemns NATO aggression against FR of Yugoslavia, news agencies report. We carry the world reactions.

In Europe, Russia is the fiercest opponent to NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia, and Greece is also among the opponents of the barbarian act, regardless of being the alliance's member. Concern is growing among many NATO European countries, participants in the attack against Yugoslavia. Agencies cite Turkish Prime Minister Bulento Edzevit as saying with noticeable concern that NATO actions would grow into a new world order. Not even Vatican supports the aggression. In the statement on the occasion it is stressed that the use of force represents the defeat of humankind. In the Asian continent, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Iraq, publicly declared themselves against bombing targets in Yugoslavia. In the Arab world, condemnations came from Iraq and Libya. African countries are very concerned and condemn aggression, and the similar situation is in Latin America, world agencies and media report.

In the Russian city of Novosibirsk, Itar-TASS reports that the German Consulate was burned in sign of protest against NATO's aggressive air-strikes against Yugoslavia. A short message saying "For Serbia" was left on the incident site. The citizens of Russia expressed their bitterness with protests in front of the US embassy in Moscow, which were attended by several thousand people. Similar gatherings were held in practically all parts of Russia.

The attack against Yugoslavia is the first offensive action against a sovereign country carried out by NATO, even the US media admit on Thursday. The CNN TV network and New York Times, although they conclude that in question is an attack against a sovereign state, do not go further in the condemnation of such a step by the US government,but open many issues, among others the dilemma: what can be achieved with bombs and how does Washington intend to end the military action? Attesting to the fact that militant circles in Washington see all this as an experiment for new NATO strategy and American military industry is also a statement by a Pentagon official. CNN quotes him as saying that finally, the most expensive B-2 "STALT", produced by the Americans was being tested in a real military operation. America has thus taken Yugoslavia as its polygon for arms testing. This is yet another proof of the dark goals of the US force, which stands behind the criminal attacks against Yugoslavia.

The majority of Britons are, according to many surveys, against NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia. The prevailing opinion in the public is that it is a shameful fact that an aggression was carried out against a sovereign European country, which is trying to overcome its internal problems. The common folk in Britain, despite media campaigns, are convinced that Kosovo-Metohija is Serbia's and Yugoslavia's internal affair.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair appealed on Thursday to the British journalists and citizens not to, as he put it, believe in the footage from Yugoslavia on civilian victims and the destruction of civilian facilities. This footage, according to him, comes from Television of Serbia, which, as he specified, should not be trusted. This is a new invention of the British prime minister - that even TV footage which comes from Serbia, cannot be a document. Most of the British TV stations, however, did not listen to Prime Minister Blair and are using Television of Serbia's footage. Only the state-run BBC responded to his appeal.

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The aggression against Yugoslavia can lead to an unforeseeable development of events, said Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov.

The only way out lies in the prompt ceasing of military operations, the Russian prime minister said. According to Primakov, the attack against FR of Yugoslavia is not just an episode in international relations, or just an aggressive attack against a country. It is essentially an attack on the new world order established after World War II, and this precedent should be urgently stopped and the situation returned to the path of political settlement.

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Official government representatives, governments, Parliaments and presidents of many European and world countries, on Thursday condemned NATO's air-strikes against sovereign Yugoslavia.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin appealed in Bern on Thursday to NATO member-countries to put an end to the bombardment of Yugoslavia. Official representatives or governments of India, Russia, Greece, Algeria, Belarus, the South African Republic and other countries, express great concern over world peace, with the assessment that NATO's aggression is undermining the system of international relations, based on the UN Charter. All other statements also call for ceasing air-strikes against Yugoslavia, for giving a political solution a chance and for allowing Yugoslavia independently to resolve its internal problem.

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Due to the crimes against the nation of FR Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav government reached a decision to sever diplomatic relations with the government of the US, Great Britain, France and Germany.

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At Thursday's meeting in Moscow, the defence ministers of the Union of Independent States' member countries severely condemned the Nato aggression against the sovereign FR Yugoslavia and calls for a peaceful settlement of the Kosmet crisis with the assistance of the UN and the OSCE. The Union condemns Nato's inhumane airstrikes against Yugoslavia and considers every attempt at resolving the complex inter-ethnic problems by force, avoiding the UN Security Council, a great threat to peace and security, a statement unanimously passed at the proposal of the Byelorussian defence minister Aleksandar Chumakov, said.

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The Republic of Serbia and FR Yugoslavia are victims of brutal aggression of NATO air forces, the Federal government's deputy prime minister Vuk Draskovic told a press conference for domestic and foreign journalists on Thursday.

We are victims because we are protecting our country from a Nazi project of an ethnically pure Greater Albania, Draskovic said. What is happening now is a Hiroshima of the international law, UN Charter, morality and fundamental principles on which the modern world is based. Despite all that, we are prepared to sign an agreement which would be based on the Contact Group's ten principles, meaning that Kosovo-Metohija cannot be a third republic or an independent state, Draskovic said. Asked by a foreign journalist whether that would mean accepting NATO troops in Kosovo-Metohija Draskovic replied - They have demonstrated how they would make peace and nobody in this country would be willing to invite them. Drasovic and the Federal information secretary Milan Komnenic promised foreign journalists maximal working conditions. Although you are coming from the countries which are bombing us you are not our enemies, we expect you to serve the truth and law, Draskovic said. Draskovic and Komnenic have announced that the Federal government would give press-conferences on a daily basis.

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The Serbian Interior Ministry has issued a statement saying that despite the Nato aggression, public order and peace in the whole of Serbia has been preserved.

The life of the citizens in Serbia's territory is normal and there is a high degree of awareness and discipline of our citizens, a statement said.

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Kosovo-Metohija has a significant place in the souls of every Serb and I am proud of being a Serb, Yugoslav and world basketball ace Vlade Divac, currently playing with Sacramento Kings told CNN.

He underlined that the Nato aggression against the sovereign state of Yugoslavia was an absolute mistake and that Nato supported terrorists. The US people are misled and they do not know the real truth. I am neither a politician nor an expert, but I believe that Serbia's proposal on autonomy was fair, Divac concluded.

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RUSIJA-OEBS 6

Russia has decided to withdraw its representatives from the OSCE mission in Kosovo-Metohija due to the Nato air-strikes against Yugoslavia, the Itar Tass news agency reported quoting the sources of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

We do not intend to go to Kosovo by Nato tanks. There is no need for the Russian observers to be part of the OSCE mission. At the same time, Russia suspended its activity in the OSCE mission in Macedonia as well. It is only the deputy mission chief Vladimir Ivanovski and another four of his aides that will continue their work.

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In regard to the predicament that befell the FR Yugoslavia with the Nato bombing, the Serbian Orthodox Church called on the authorities of all world countries to see to it that the bombings cease and that a just solution was found by means of negotiation, a statement from the Serbian Orthodox Church said.

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The Montenegrin government on Thursday concluded all necessary measures had been taken for ensuring public order and peace, the personal and property security of the citizens, as well as state security, the Serbian Information Secretariat announced.

The Montenegrin government said that all the necessary activities had been taken to provide for the supply of the market with basic foodstuffs, medicines and sanitation material.

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At a press conference, the Serbian government presented a report on the supply of the market under war-time conditions.

The government of national unity is investing extraordinary efforts in creating conditions for the functioning of all segments necessary to ensure the life of the citizens under war-time conditions, Serbian deputy prime minister Dragan Tomic said. The market will be regularly supplied with basic foodstuffs and agricultural produce, said the Republican minister of agriculture, forestry and water supplies Jovan Babovic. The Serbian government had taken all measures to preserve the territorial and economic sovereignty of the country, Serbian Trade Minister Zoran Krasic told a press conference. He added that Serbia and FR Yugoslavia could secure safety for all the citizens. It is the task of the Serbian government and trade ministry to ensure priorities and a quality utilization of the material base for both the economy and the population. The Serbian minister for mining and power supply Zivota Cosic underlined that electric power supplies could be used without restrictions and both oil and oil products would be sufficient for the functioning of the economy. The protection of the state interest and the interest of the nation at this moment is a priority in preserving the country's financial system, said Serbian finance minister Borislav Milacic.