(16 Jun 1998)
Moscow, June 16, 1998
1. Milosevic and Primakov enter
2. Cutaway camera crew
3. Cutaway
4. SOUNDBITE: Slobodan Milosevic (English)
5. Cutaway journalists
6. SOUNDBITE: Yevgeny Primakov, Russian Foreign Minister (Russian)
7. Cutaway Russian defense minister Igor Sergeyev
8. Side view of Milosevic and Primakov
8. SOUNDBITE: Slobodan Milosevic (English)
9. Foreign Ministry guesthouse
10. Primakov, Milosevic outside
11. Milosevic riding away
STORYLINE:
Eng/Russ/Nat
The Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic says he will reopen talks with the political leader of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians.
Speaking after a day of talks in Moscow, Milosevic announced that he was willing to speak to Ibrahim Rugova - but ruled out any contacts with the Kosovo Liberation Army.
He dubbed the KLA "terrorists".
The news conference in Moscow came after several hours of talks between Milosevic and the country that most Serbs regard as an ally.
The Yugoslav President dismissed claims that his new flexibility was a result of Monday's show of force by NATO warplanes.
His stated willingness to talk to Ibrahim Rugova was tempered by a hard line against the Kosovo Liberation Army - 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 state has to negotiate and the state delegation is doing so 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 KLA 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 of 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 today.

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