BELGRADE: US OFFICIAL MEETS SENIOR YUGOSLAV, SERBIAN OFFICIALS

BELGRADE, June 5 (Hina) - The US state secretary's assistant for European issues, Elisabeth Jones, met with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, and Serbia's Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in Belgrade on Wednesday. #L# Jones and Svilanovic expressed mutual interest in strengthening bilateral relations, and exchanged views with regard to Yugoslavia's co-operation with the Hague war crimes tribunal, the situation in Kosovo, and NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, a statement by the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry said. The statement adds that a recent decision by President George W. Bush to block accounts and other funds belonging to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and his associates would not hamper the results of a recent visit by Svilanovic and Djindjic to the US. Jones also confirmed the US stand not to open the issue of the final status for Kosovo, the statement concluded. The talks also addressed the further application of an agreement on the rearrangement of Serbia-Montenegro relations, and the return of refugees and displaced persons. It was stressed that the idea of a meeting of the presidents of Yugoslavia, Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina that would deal with this problem was very important. Jones congratulated Serbia's Prime Minister Djindjic on the success of economic reforms and expressed interest in loans for and investments into Yugoslavia. (hina) sp sb