Talks between Nato and Yugoslav generals on a pullout by Serbian forces from Kosovo have broken off, but are expected to resume later.
A Nato spokesman, Robin Clifford, said the Serbs needed to confer with Belgrade on «a few points of detail» in the withdrawal plan, and were expected to return after one hour. The two sides met for five hours at an ethnic Albanian-owend cafe just inside Macedonia’s border with the province. There was a three hour delay in starting the meeting because the Yugoslav delegation was unhappy with the venue.
Ben Brown in Blace, Macedonia: No negotiations, no haggling, no give and take The alliance said there would be no negotiations during the meeting. Nato’s senior commander, General Michael Jackson, was expected to present the Yugoslavs with an agreement for them to sign.
As a Serb capitulation seemed closer, nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj threatened to take his Serbian Radical Party out of the Serbian government coalition if the peace plan was signed.
Nato’s ultimatum
Nato said it would give the Yugoslav army one day to prove it was withdrawing from the province – and only then would bombing be suspended.
After the agreement has been signed, the Yugoslavs would have seven days to pull out all 40,000 troops. They have been given maps showing the exact routes and exit points their forces must take.
Nato Spokesman Jamie Shea: Yugoslavs will be told what they have to do
The BBC’s Ben Brown said Nato forces would start moving in as soon as the Yugoslav withdrawal began, and it could be as early as Monday or Tuesday. As the prospect of the pullout draws closer, Nato has warned both sides not take advantage of the situation. Spokesman Jamie Shea warned the Yugoslavs that Nato would not hesitate to use its air power if retreating troops exacted reprisals against ethnic Albanian civilians.
But he also had tough words for the Kosovo Liberation Army, saying Nato expected them to exercise restraint once the Yugoslav forces moved out. As Russia repeated calls for an end to the bombing campaign, Nato said it would welcome Russia’s participation in the implementation of peace. The UK Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, also said he was confident that an agreement will be reached whereby Russian peacekeeping troops will effectively be part of a Nato-led command structure.
Another night of raids
Nato continued its air strikes overnight, but they were confined to targets in Kosovo. BBC Defence Correspondent Mark Laity says Nato wants to avoid the risk of civilian casualties this late in the campaign. However, the Yugoslav state news agency Tanjug said Nato had dropped five cluster bombs on civilian targets on the Prizren-Djakovica road on Saturday morning. Elsewhere, international monitors reported the heaviest Yugoslav shelling on the Kosovo-Albanian border for almost two weeks. On Friday evening, shells landed as far as 15km inside Albanian territory.
UN gets into gear
On the diplomatic front, efforts to restore peace in Kosovo is being stepped up at the United Nations. The BBC’s Bridget Kendall: «The deal isn’t done yet» UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said work could begin next week on a Security Council resolution setting out the terms of a peace settlement. He also said the special Balkan envoys, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and Slovak Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan, are to discuss plans with UN agencies in Geneva on the reconstruction of Kosovo and the rehabilitation of refugees.
Mr Annan has suggested a single individual appointed by him should be in charge of a wide range of functions, including the return of refugees, policing and reconstruction.
Obstacles to peace
However, there is still disagreement within the Security Council about how peace should be reached. China’s acting ambassador on the Security Council has repeated his country’s insistence that it will not back any resolution until the bombing stops. For its part, the Kosovo Liberation Army said it would not consider disarming its fighters while Serbian troops were still in the province.
Kosovo refugees in camps near the provinces are pleased but sceptical about the agreement. International aid workers are warning there may be a stampede for the border once the refugees believe it is safe to go back. It will be Nato’s job to ensure the refugees’ security. Alliance officials have warned that one of the biggest dangers could be mines and booby traps left behind by retreating Yugoslav forces.
