US WILLING TO HELP COUNTRIES AT FIRST LINE - STATE DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Hina) - U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright pledged the support of the United States and the international community to the countries at the first line, i.e. those that are in the neighbourhood to Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) and are suffering consequences of the Kosovo crisis, a source at the State Department said on Friday. NATO will stand by you, Madeleine Albright told foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania and Slovenia at a working dinner on Thursday in Washington. On that occasion the State Secretary called on the ministers to enable the temporary accommodation of Kosovo refugees in their countries and to join NATO and the European Union (EU) in endeavours to impose on Belgrade additional trade sanctions, primarily limits in oil supplies. According to official reports, on behalf of the United States and the EU, Albright announced that they were already seeking possibilities and ways to offer assistance to countries affected by economic consequences of the crisis. The US Administration has earmarked 50 million dollars as the additional help to countries near Yugoslavia. The Congress has been asked to approve another 600 million dollars for humanitarian, economic and security purposes. The United States, along with the World Bank and other financial institutions, is trying to find money for the direct support to budgets of the countries at the first line, Albright said. She called on the foreign ministers to begin thinking of long-term goals. She held that ways should be found for cooperation by which all countries in the south-east of Europe, along with a democratic Serbia one day, might include in the European mainstream. (hina) ms