YUGOSLAVIA: DRASKOVIC PRESS BRIEFING

(29 Mar 1999) English/Nat

NATO bombs pounded Yugoslavia for a sixth day as thousands of ethnic Albanians fearing Serb paramilitary forces streamed out of Kosovo in what may be Europe's worst humanitarian disaster since World War II.

Meanwhile, Russia's prime minister, Yevgeny Primakov, has announced plans to go to Belgrade on Tuesday in a new bid to end the crisis.

Russia, which has cultural and historic ties to Serbia, has strongly opposed NATO's air campaign against Yugoslavia.

Yugoslav Vice President Vuk Draskovic has said that Belgrade is prepared for a peaceful settlement of the Kosovo problem but will not conduct negotiations under bombs.

He accused the Kosovo Albanians of feigning a crisis and a humanitarian
catastrophe in the territory.

Draskovic welcomed Russia's president Yevgeny Primakov's announcement that he would go to Belgrade in an attempt to bring about a peaceful settlement.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"That's good news I don't know the subject of the talks. Probably to try to establish some diplomatic initiative to find a way to stop this tragedy, this aggression. As far as I am concerned I think we need even under the bombs, peace and peaceful settlement but we can not talk under the bombs. No negotiations under the bombs. NATO must stop bombing the Serbia and NATO must stop to support and encourage Albanian terrorist to commit atrocities all over Kosovo against our state forces. And to stop to courage them to create a large number of refugees, to send women, children into the mountains, into the border of Macedonia, Montenegro, to cry under the TV cameras of the western world and to call in that new way against Serbia"
SUPER CAPTION: Vuk Draskovic, Deputy Yugoslav Prime Minister

Draskovic said that Belgrade was ready to start negotiations but only if the bombing stopped.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"After that I mean we will have very soon the peace in Kosovo. You can see in that case very truthful efforts of our poor state to head back all refugees, Albanian refugees, Serbian refugees, to help them, to repair if necessary their homes and start the talks on which base President Clinton a few days ago established the base for approaching the political settlement"
SUPER CAPTION: Vuk Draskovic, Deputy Yugoslav Prime Minister

He went on to say that the peace settlement signed by the Kosovo Albanians in Rambouillet was miles away from the statement made President Clinton just a few days ago.

For the moment negotiations do not look likely with the sixth day of NATO airstrikes is underway.

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