Monday May 3, 1999

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Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Monday held a meeting with the country's highest officials.

Reviewed were the main issues concerning the realization of the government's measures for the functioning of the infrastructure and the work of public companies, bodies and services of interest for the population in conditions of a state of war. It was concluded that expressed in all vital sectors was a high degree of working discipline, devotion and mobilization for the purpose of protecting the population's living and working conditions, and especially in order to eliminate the consequences caused by the aggressors' strikes against vital civilian facilities. Public and communal companies, as well as authorized bodies and services are taking all measures envisaged for the newly arisen circumstances, in order to ensure supplies of electricity and other necessities for the population. It was assessed that the state bodies' measures and activities were being realized in accordance with the set plans.

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Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic said at a meeting with Vojvodina's economic and political leadership in Novi Sad that the defence of the country and a peaceful solution to Kosmet were the basic tasks on which the government would persevere.

According to him, a political solution to Kosovo-Metohija envisages a halt to Nato's aggression, the resolution of humanitarian issues including a return of refugees and co-operation with humanitarian organizations - the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, that is, their free movement for the purpose of offering humanitarian aid. Marjanovic said that a halt to the aggression and withdrawal of Nato forces from our borders would lead to the peace-time presence of our forces in Kosovo-Metohija, restoration and intensification of direct talks on wide-ranging autonomy in Kosmet and establishment of full equality of national communities with respect for the sovereignty and integrity of Serbia and Yugoslavia. International presence under UN auspices can ensure the monitoring of the process of resolution of humanitarian issues, repatriation of refugees, our citizens driven away by bombs and Nato's destruction, restoration and reconstruction of the country and removal of all consequences of the aggression which is the interest of not only Yugoslavia but the entire region and Europe, he said. Prime Minister Marjanovic specified that the republican government would be behind all activities which should alleviate the consequences of Nato's barbarian destruction, that is, ensure normal life for the residents of Novi Sad in war-time conditions. Prime Minister Marjanovic was accompanied by Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Jovan Zebic and governor of the National Bank, Dusan Vlatkovic.

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At midday on Monday, Nato aggressor warplanes hit a bus on the Pec-Kula-Rozaje road near the village of Savine Vode, killing 20 people and wounding as many, Tanjug reports.

According to immediate reports, the bus was struck by one missile. Radio Montenegro cited eyewitness accounts, according to which in Monday's NATO massacre against civilians on a bus near Pec at least 20 persons were killed and as many were wounded. Quoting the witnesses of the crime and on-site information, the radio reported that a cluster bomb directly hit a Djakovica-Transport company bus on the Pec-Rozaje road near the village of Savine Vode and that several passenger vehicles were hit in the same assault. According to foreign and domestic journalists who came to the massacre scene, the force of the blow created a crater 30 metres wide and 15 metres deep. The Pec investigating judge, Vladan Bojic, said that 17 dead and 43 injured were pulled out from it by that time, who were immediately transferred to hospital.

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At 9.45 on Sunday, Nato aggressor warplanes dropped soft bombs which exploded over electric power plants and sprayed graphite which conducts electricity, on switching equipment, short-circuiting the system and destrupting the electric power supplies for much of Serbia, except eastern and south-eastern Serbia and Kosovo-Metohija. In the broader Serbia region at five o'clock power supplies were restored but the electric power supply system was not stabilized, the Serbian Electric Power Supply company announced. The system is gradually being restored and the first to receive electricity were hospitals which were functioning on backup generators.

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Nato aggressor aircraft pounded a number of cities across Serbia: Valjevo, Novi Sad, Mt Fruska Gora, Vitanovci, Ladjevci and Pristina, as well as a bridge on the Lim river in Prijepolje overnight.

Valjevo came under the heaviest, eighth in a row, attack since the start of the aggression against Yugoslavia. In the first assault shortly after 9 p.m. the Krusik factory of Valjevo, destroyed in previous assaults, was hit with several missiles and set on fire which burnt the only remaining plant of Solar. In the second attack, struck were city residential areas near Krusik. Of seven injured citizens of Valjevo tended to immediately following the attack, two were admitted to City Hospital for further treatment. According to the first reports, at least one hundred families remained homeless.

At 1.45, the aggressor targeted both ends of a bridge on the Lim river in Prijepolje smashing all windows on the Milosevo hotel and the railway station.

In Novi Sad at 2 a.m, two blasts were heard from the direction of Mt Fruska Gora after which the Yugoslav Army's air defences were activated.

The aggressors also hit the north-western part of Nis at 3 a.m.

The criminal Nato aircraft raided the villages of Vitanovci and Ladjevci overnight. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported. The Kraljevo-Kragujevac motorway is made impassable by a landslide.

The Yugoslav Army's air defences launched intense anti-aircraft fire at Nato warplanes in the Morava river basin overnight. Enemy aircraft intensively overflew the region for half an hour but were forced into retreat by Yugoslav air defences.

The aggressors also targeted the region of Pristina.

The village of Bozinjavec near Bujanovac was struck by three projectiles at 8.30 on Monday. There are no immediate casualty reports but immense material damage was caused.

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NATO criminals, who have so far targeted the oil refinery in Novi Sad ten times, dropping over 40 projectiles on its installations, including the overnight attack, are deliberately and intentionally causing an ecological catastrophe and endangering the lives of the city's inhabitants and the environment.

~An ecological catastrophe is already taking place in Novi Sad since the thick, black smoke, which has been hovering over the city for six days now, is endangering the health of over 300 thousand inhabitants of Vojvodina's capital, said Dragan Scepanovic of the Provincial Information Secretariat speaking to some fifty foreign reporters. The most affected is the Sangaj district from which two thousand people have been evacuated for security and health reasons. Scepanovic pointed out that Novi Sad, a symbol of multi-national Vojvodina and a city whose inhabitants have always lived in harmony, has now become the greatest target of the NATO criminal aviation.

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Prior to Monday's meeting in Washington with the Russian president's envoy, Viktor Chernomyrdin, Clinton is receiving very strong messages from leading senators to accept the offered diplomatic initiatives. Republican leader in the Senate, Trent Lot, publicly addressed the US president saying: Let's give peace a chance. Citing Jesse Jackson, in an interview to the CNN, Trent Lot conveyed a clear message to the administration: it seems that some kind of breakthrough has been achieved in the diplomatic efforts. Chances do exist and we must make use of this moment, he added. As regards international presence in Kosovo-Metohija, Lot even said that he saw no reason why the US would have to have its troops in that mission. He also added that since the very beginning he had had doubts regarding the bombing operation.

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In Sunuday's telephone conversation, Bill Clinton thanked political and religious leader Jesse Jackson for his help in the release of three American captives, it has been announced in Washington.

On his arrival in the German base of Ramstein, Jackson repeated his appeal for the bombing of Yugoslavia to cease and for the Kosmet problem to be resolved by diplomatic means, which was televised by US TV networks.

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To Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's decision to release the three captured US soldiers, as a humane gesture of good will on the part of Yugoslavia, the Washington leadership reacted by assessing that this could mark a positive course of developments.

The Washington Post, New York Times and other US dailies cite Belgrade's explanation that this decision represented a humane response and impetus to the peace efforts of people like political and religious leader Jesse Jackson. The media cite Jackson as saying that such a gesture cannot be ignored and that this should be used to open up a diplomatic road for resolving the situation in Yugoslavia.

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The French electronic media described the release of the three US prisoners-of-war as Belgrade's ~humane gesture~. The television on several occasions showed footage of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's meeting with the head of the US anti-war mission, Jesse Jackson, as well footage of the released soldiers. When the bombing of the bridge in Luzani is concerned, the French electronic media continuously warn that in question is the sixth ~mistake~ NATO admitted to having made since the beginning of the air campaign against Yugoslavia on March 24. A careful observer cannot, however, miss the fact how much, on this occasion, the same as on previous ones, the aggressor tried to conceal or diminish the fact that he kills - civilians, more and more often and in increasing numbers.

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Setting out the four proposals for resolving the situation in Kosmet, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic showed he was in favour of peace, points out the Greek ATINAIKI paper.

The paper explains that with the interviews he has recently given to American media, as well as with the wise decision to release the three captured US servicemen, President Milosevic has in fact won over part of the public opinion in the country, directly opposing Washington's aggressive propaganda.

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In several refugee camps situated in Macedonia, refugees openly revolted against the international community's negligence and poor accommodation conditions, it is learnt in Skopje.

The refugees called for an immediate halt to the bombing of Yugoslavia and that they be provided a safe return to Kosmet even if their houses had been destroyed by Nato bombs. It is better for us to be on our burnt homesteads than in exile left to the cruel cynicism of the international community which called on us to leave our homes, said refugees who encountered additional hardships due to high temperatures and lack of water. We have also been abandoned by members of the so-called KLA who promised us a better future in some of the European countries, said the deceived refugees surrounded by strong police forces who prevented them from returning home. Dealing with the problem of refugees from Kosmet housed in camps in Macedonia, the Skopje newspaper revealed that those received by European countries go there literally stigmatized. When travellers to European countries are designated, they are stigmatized and transported to Skopje airport. A refugee-traveller has no name and surname but only a distinguishing number, the newspaper said.

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Former NATO commander, retired US general Alexander Hague, on Sunday again criticized NATO's aggression on Yugoslavia as a completely senseless act.

~We have nothing to look for in Kosovo... the reason for launching an air campaign lies in the fact that NATO got scared for the sense of its further existence, and it urgently needed something to justify its sense. This is, of course, utter stupidity~, Hague said in an interview to Sunday's edition of the Berlin Der Tages Spiegel paper. Hague criticized NATO a week ago, in an interview with the Munich FOKUS weekly, when he branded the Alliance's aggression against Yugoslavia ~too bold an adventure~. ~I would never have suggested such an action~, emphasized Hague.

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Rallies and concerts in protest against NATO's criminal aggression against Yugoslavia were held on Monday throughout Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska.

On Monday evening, Belgraders will again defend their bridges with their bodies as human shields. Also, the COLLEGIUM MUSICUM and its soloists, conducted by Darinka Matic Marovic, held a concert at the Museum of Applied Arts.

Copyright (C.) Radio Jugoslavija