-Caveat Lector- Yugoslavia Wants Russian Alliance .c The Associated Press BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- Yugoslavia's parliament voted today to join an alliance with Russia and Belarus, an action aimed at getting military help to stop NATO airstrikes. Russia said membership can't be granted instantly. Serbian Premier Mirko Marjanovic said after the parliament vote that it was ``normal'' for Yugoslavia to join the union with its historic Christian Orthodox allies. ``It is yet another way to resist the NATO aggression,'' Marjanovic said. The NATO alliance says airstrikes will continue until Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic withdraws military and police forces cracking down on separatist rebels in the southern province of Kosovo. Milosevic requested membership in a letter to Russian President Boris Yeltsin that was delivered to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday. ``Moscow positively regards the idea of Yugoslavia's membership in the union of Russia and Belarus, and corresponding orders have been given to study this issue,'' Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told reporters in Moscow today. But Ivanov and other Russian officials have cautioned Yugoslavia that membership can't be granted quickly. Ivanov said last week that NATO operations against Yugoslavia were likely to be over before the country could be included in an expanded union. The pro-Western leaders of Montenegro, Serbia's partner in the Yugoslav federation, dismissed the federal parliament's resolution. Predrag Popovic, deputy speaker of the Montenegrin legislature, described the proposed union as Milosevic's ``last and desperate effort to save his power and the ideology of which he is a slave.'' Russia and Belarus haggled for months before their union deal was completed in 1997, and the incorporation of Yugoslavia into the alliance could present even more difficulties than the original agreement. Even if Yugoslavia is admitted, it wouldn't automatically mean military aid. The union calls for military cooperation, among other things, but also envisions extensive political and economic ties, including the possibility of a single currency. The Russia-Belarus union remains largely an agreement on paper. Both countries have deeply troubled economies and neither has been able to offer much assistance to the other. Ivanov reiterated that Russia doesn't want to get involved in the Yugoslav conflict militarily and ``targets all its efforts'' at preventing the conflict from spreading. The idea of a union between Russia, Belarus and Yugoslavia is popular among many politicians in Russia, though some, including Yeltsin, have said that now is not the best time to consider it. The notion of a Slavic union is particularly popular among Russian Communists, who regret the breakup of the Soviet Union. Throughout its troubled history, Yugoslavia always has been against any domination from either the West or the East and has jealously defended its sovereignty. The motion passed in each house without a dissenting vote. In a statement, the Yugoslav parliament called the proposal ``a historic step of great importance to Yugoslavia's people.'' DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
