RUSSIA: MOSCOW: YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC VISIT

Описание: (16 Jun 1998) Eng/Russ/Nat

The Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has agreed to resume talks with Kosovo separatists, following a meeting with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in Moscow.

Milosevic said he was willing to speak to ethnic Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova - but ruled out any contacts with the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Yeltsin and Milosevic met on Tuesday morning at the Kremlin, kicking off a series of negotiations that continued through most of the day.

It was announced after the meetings that Milosevic has agreed to resume negotiations with Ibrahim Rugova, the moderate leader of Kosovo's Albanians.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"In principle we have reached an agreement. The main thing is he (Milosevic) has agreed to sit down at the negotiating table with the Kosovo Albanians. That's the main thing."
SUPER CAPTION: Boris Yeltsin, Russian President

Milosevic and Rugova met in May, but the Albanians cancelled further talks until Serbian government troops halted offensives in western Kosovo.

Rugova has lately been losing support to the more militant separatists in the troubled province, whose uprising Milosevic has tried to crush.

Rugova has sought a peaceful solution to the crisis, although his goal - independence for Kosovo - remains the same as that of the more militant separatists in the Kosovo Liberation Army.

At a news conference held after Tuesday's meetings, Milosevic stated his willingness to talk to Rugova but he maintained his hard line against the Kosovo Liberation Army (K-L-A) - the major armed group among the province's ethnic Albanians.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
I don't see reasons to conduct negotiations with terrorists. I think that the states has to negotiate and the state delegation is doing so with political leader of Albania and political parties in Kosovo and that is the fact which will be - I hope - respected by everybody."
SUPER CAPTION: Slobodan Milosevic, Yugoslav president

Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov said the Serbs had agreed to the gradual withdrawal of forces as soon as K-L-A activities cease.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"As terrorist activity subsides, security forces will reduce their presence in areas not normally held by them. At the same time Yugoslavia is ready for talks with the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) establishing its mission in Kosovo, and reinstatement of it in this organisation."
SUPER CAPTION: Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Foreign Minister

Milosevic said he saw no need to withdraw Serb forces from Kosovo, and denied that Serb forces had committed war crimes or killed any civilians in Kosovo.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It was clear that all actions of Serbian police were only against terrorist groups, not against civilians. Civilians - we consider all of them, regardless to their national belonging - our citizens."
SUPER CAPTION: Slobodan Milosevic, Yugoslav president

News of the apparent breakthrough got a cool response in Washington, where White House spokesman Mike McCurry described it as "interesting".

Milosevic is due to fly back to Belgrade later on Tuesday.

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