-Caveat Lector-
It's simple -- the same NATO that has been bombing Yugoslavia wants to
send in its OWN (non-UN) ground troops now under the guise of "peacekeepers."
Ministers Fail To Reach Kosovo Deal
By TONY CZUCZKA
.c The Associated Press
BONN, Germany (AP) -- Crucial negotiations on a Balkans peace plan are
focusing on the makeup of an international force in Kosovo, with Russia
strenuously opposed to NATO troops leading the peacekeepers.
Foreign ministers from eight nations were to hold a second round of talks
here today after Monday's negotiations failed to reach an agreement and the
Russian delegation said it had to consult with Moscow on the resolution.
Western officials insisted they would not back down over demands that NATO be
at the core of the peacekeeping force due to move into Kosovo under a peace
plan accepted Thursday by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, called the
NATO-led force ``our red line.'' The official said Western nations will not
accept a peacekeeping mission under U.N. control, as Russia has demanded in
the past.
The foreign ministers from the Group of Eight -- Russia, the United States
and the six other top industrialized democracies -- hoped to come up with a
final draft for a U.N. resolution during today's talks, German Foreign
Minister Joschka Fischer said.
Fischer emphasized that the ministers had agreed to 17 points on the 20-point
resolution during Monday's talks. The diplomats are also negotiating on a
civilian administration for Kosovo.
``We hope we will solve all the open points to the degree we can, then have a
constructive effort in the Security Council,'' Fischer said.
Under the peace plan, the U.N. Security Council must authorize the military
force and the civilian administration that would be dispatched to Kosovo
under U.N. auspices after Serb troops are withdrawn to ensure the safe return
of Kosovo's estimated 860,000 refugees.
A Russian delegation official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
Russia was insisting on a halt in NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia before it
approves the resolution.
U.S. State Department spokesman James P. Rubin downplayed that objection.
``The Russians have made no secret of the fact that they would rather have
the bombing stop yesterday, the day before yesterday, or even 73 days ago,''
he said.
British officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that sticking
points revolved around whether a peace force would be under NATO or U.N.
command, and whether its mandate would be peacekeeping or peace enforcement,
the latter implying the use of force.
The Russian delegation objects to having NATO at the core of the peacekeeping
mission, the British officials said. They also opposed an article empowering
peacekeepers to take ``robust'' military measures to ensure peace.
The Russians also were balking at a preamble referring to the war-crimes
indictment of Milosevic, the British said.
The European Union's Kosovo envoy, Martti Ahtisaari, flew to Beijing today to
win Chinese backing for the resolution.
``I think it is extremely important that the Chinese leadership gets to know
what has happened in the peace process, because they have not been in this
process,'' Ahtisaari said upon arriving in Beijing.
China, along with Russia, said NATO airstrikes must stop before the accord
can be brought before the U.N. Security Council. Both countries hold
permanent seats on the Security Council and have veto power.
Before leaving, Ahtisaari spoke to Milosevic by telephone and relayed
assurances to the diplomats meeting here that the Yugoslav leader ``intends
to go forward with the agreement,'' Rubin said.
NATO officials feared Belgrade was backing away from the deal after
high-level military talks in Macedonia were derailed early Monday by a
disagreement over the withdrawal of Serb forces from Kosovo.
The Serbs say they are required to withdraw only to ``peacetime'' levels of
troops in Kosovo, or about 15,000 troops, according to a U.S. official. NATO,
however, demands a total pullout, with a few hundred troops then permitted to
return as a symbol of Serb sovereignty in the province.
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