BELGRADE, June 17 (Hina) - Yugoslav and Russian Presidents Vojislav Kostunica and Vladimir Putin on Sunday morning held two-hour-long talks on the bilateral ties, problems in southern Serbia and Kosovo, the crisis in Macedonia, and
advocated the organisation of a regional conference which should reaffirm the principle of the inviolability of borders with the protection of minorities' rights. After the talks they held a news conference and underlined that it was necessary that the UN Security Council's Resolution 1244 on Kosovo be consistently implemented. The two heads of state also urged the international community's greater engagement in bids to settle the crisis in the region. Kostunica labelled moves of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the international community as "wrong" as accused them of de-stabilising the situation in southern Serbia, Macedonia and lately in Ipiros, the Greek region bordering with Alba
BELGRADE, June 17 (Hina) - Yugoslav and Russian Presidents Vojislav
Kostunica and Vladimir Putin on Sunday morning held two-hour-long
talks on the bilateral ties, problems in southern Serbia and
Kosovo, the crisis in Macedonia, and advocated the organisation of
a regional conference which should reaffirm the principle of the
inviolability of borders with the protection of minorities'
rights.
After the talks they held a news conference and underlined that it
was necessary that the UN Security Council's Resolution 1244 on
Kosovo be consistently implemented.
The two heads of state also urged the international community's
greater engagement in bids to settle the crisis in the region.
Kostunica labelled moves of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the
international community as "wrong" as accused them of de-
stabilising the situation in southern Serbia, Macedonia and lately
in Ipiros, the Greek region bordering with Albania.
The President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) pointed
out three problems in the implementation of Resolution 1244. This
UN document envisages the return of refugees, but there is no return
in the practice, he said.
The resolution guarantees the safety and security for all the
citizens of Kosovo, but this is not implemented on the ground.
Finally, a provisional legal framework drawn up by the UNMIK head,
Hans Haekkerup, "is not provisional" but "prejudges the future
status of Kosovo with elements of statehood," Kostunica asserted.
Yugoslav President said he and his interlocutor had agreed that it
would be useful to define what terrorism was and what it was not, and
agreed that every kind of terrorism should be uprooted.
Kostunica asserted that his country "has a particularly important
if not a leading role" in the Balkans.
Russian President said his country would unconditionally export
power products to Yugoslavia, assessing that the FRY incumbent
authorities needed the international assistance.
Putin informed Kostunica of the talks he had conducted with US
President George Bush at Brdo Kod Kranja, Slovenia, on Saturday, as
well as of their views on the crisis in the region.
The United States and Russia are willing to do their best to help
find a just solution of the crisis in the region, Putin said.
In Putin's mind, Kosovo is the hotbed of all the problems and the
international community must "disarm terrorists".
Since the sad events in Macedonia the international community has
more soberly looked at the crisis, he added.
At the end of the news conference, Putin wished much success in the
incumbent authorities' bids to reform Yugoslavia into a
democratic, free and open country.
(hina) ms