-Caveat Lector- RUSSIA WARNS AGAINST INTERNATIONAL INTERFERENCE IN YUGOSLAVIA By JIM HEINTZ The Associated Press 9/27/00 5:16 PM MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia warned Wednesday against any international intervention in Yugoslavia, as Western leaders harshly criticized President Slobodan Milosevic for clinging to power after an apparent election loss. Many international observers say Milosevic lost outright to challenger Vojislav Kostunica, but Milosevic has defied calls to step down. The country's central elections commission says a run-off is necessary because Kostunica got just under 50 percent -- a result being widely questioned abroad. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov warned against other countries taking any action. Russia "stands firmly for the peoples of Yugoslavia to have full freedom to express their will without internal or external pressure," Ivanov said. "It is important not to allow destabilization of the situation, which would play into the hands only of those powers that are not interested in preserving a single Yugoslavia and restoring its place in the world arena," he said. Western countries, however, said Milosevic had lost and should leave power. "It certainly appears from a distance that they had a free election and somebody's trying to take it away from them," President Clinton said Wednesday. "The government's official election commission has no credibility whatever." Russia vehemently opposed the NATO-led bombing campaign against Yugoslavia last year, but has shown signs of trying to distance itself from Milosevic in recent months. Ivanov's use of the phrase "express their will" echoed phrases by foreign leaders who claim Milosevic is thwarting a clear opposition victory. Ivanov also urged all political forces in Yugoslavia to act "strictly in the framework of legality, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Russia should use its traditional friendship with Serbia, which along with Montenegro makes up Yugoslavia, to work for a solution. "Milosevic has lost, the opposition has won," Fischer said. "Russia plays a very important role here because of its traditional closeness to Serbia. We expect our Russian partners as well to become actively engaged here." Turkey's Defense Minister Sabhattin Cakmakoglu said Wednesday that "NATO will intervene if there is a crisis" in Yugoslavia. But NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said on Tuesday that there was no concentration of NATO troops along the border and other Western officials gave no hint of any possible intervention. Some leaders combined their criticisms with suggestions of better relations if Milosevic yields. French President Jacques Chirac said his country, which currently holds the chairmanship of the European Union, "will commit to a radical change of attitude" toward Yugoslavia, including pushing for lifting economic sanctions, if Milosevic steps down. The sanctions have hurt the country already weakened by war and lifting them could also break down Yugoslavia's isolation from the rest of Europe. Echoing the idea, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said, "a democratic Yugoslavia, in which human rights are respected, will once again take its rightful, equal place in Europe." Chirac was adamant in contending that Milosevic had lost. "The current manipulations being carried out to steal the victory of the Serb people are useless tricks. They must stop," he said. Erkki Tuomioja, the foreign minister of Finland, said he backs France's proposal of dropping sanctions if Milosevic steps down. "We have previously felt these sanctions are not appropriate," said Tuomioja. 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