(6 Oct 1998) Eng/Russ/Nat
President Bill Clinton has warned Yugoslavia President Slobodan Milosevic that NATO "is prepared to act" unless he complies with U-N Security Council resolutions on Kosovo.
Clinton issued a warning to Milosevic in an address to a joint meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
But in Moscow and Beijing the Russian and Chinese governments urged caution and negotiation.
Speaking at an I-M-F meeting in Washington President Clinton said that world leaders believed that violence in Kosovo could spread to neighbouring countries.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We all agree that Kosovo is a powder keg in the Balkans, if the violence continues it could spill over and threaten the peace and stability of Bosnia, of Albania, of Macedonia and other countries in the region. What is already a humanitarian crisis could turn into a catastrophe."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U-S President
Elsewhere in Washington U-S Defence Secretary William Cohen was speaking to a Congressional committee on Kosovo and put his case that the international community could not stand idly by and watch a humanitarian disaster unfold.
However while Cohen supported whatever action NATO might choose to implement, he did not want to use U-S troops on the ground.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
It could require an international presence
Q: Would that include U-S troops?
It's a possibility but one that I have urged we not get involved on the ground in Kosovo.
SUPER CAPTION: William Cohen, U-S Defence Secretary
The U-S Defence Secretary also took pains to stress that the humanitarian crisis was very real.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
I think the most immediate thing that you have talked about frankly in many of your public statements, is the need to take action in Kosovo to prevent the humanitarian crisis that currently is taking place. So I think there has been a recognition on everyone's part including yours and other members of this committee, including members of the House, action has to be taken to prevent 50-thousand people from freezing or starving to death and we would like to take that action but limited to the air operation.
SUPER CAPTION: William Cohen, U-S Defence Secretary
In Moscow a Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed Russia's position, reiterating that Russia was fundamentally opposed to using force against their old allies, the Serbs.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The Russian Foreign Ministry said today that Russia would use the power of veto if the issue of force strikes against Yugoslavia will be discussed in the United Nations. I would say that the Russian position about the unacceptability of force is well known here in Russia and in the West. We always consider that the use of force is the wrong method for the resolution of the conflict in Kosovo."
SUPER CAPTION: Vladimir Rakhmanin, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman
China has also come down firmly against NATO action or indeed any use of force or sanctions to punish Belgrade.
The Kosovo problem should be resolved through dialogue instead, says Beijing.
SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
"China has all along opposed the use of force and the threat to use force in international relations. The international community should look at the overall situation in the manner of seeking truth from facts. We can see that large scale military conflict in Kosovo has already ceased, and the general situation is moving towards alleviation. The relevant parties have put forward suggestions for the political resolution of the Kosovo issue through negotiations."
SUPER CAPTION: Zhu Bangzao, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman
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