Free Serbia-NEWS June 2nd, 1999 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Free Serbia-NEWS Wednesday, June 2nd, 1999. http://www.xs4all.nl/~freeserb/news/e-index.html EU envoy Marti Ahtisaari and Russian envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin arrived in Belgrade. World Court rejected Yugoslav request to halt NATO bombing. Electricity and water supplies in Belgrade near collapse. Public transport almpost cut down to zero. NATO admitted that one of their missiles missed intended target and hit residence building in Novi Pazar, which resulted in 14 people killed. New attacks in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Ruma, Nis, Cuprija, Jagodina, Pristina and other towns throughout Serbia and Kosovo. http://www.xs4all.nl/~freeserb/news/e-sreda02jun.html Wednesday, June 2nd, 1999 EU-Russian peace mission to Belgrade Moscow's envoy, Viktor Chernomyrdin and EU envoy, Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari arrived at Belgrade airport at 17.00. "I think at the moment there is a realistic chance that the war will end," Chernomyrdin said before departing to Belgrade. He added that the peacekeeping process should be under the auspices of the United Nations. Chernomyrdin said it was most important that a document between Yugoslavia and NATO covering withdrawal of Serbian forces and the timing of the deployment of peacekeepers be worked out. He said then that a ceasefire will be declared and that would be followed by a U.N. Security Council resolution. Chernomyrdin's and Ahtisaari's mediation trip was delayed to Belgrade after the United States made last-minute changes to a plan agreed at Kosovo talks in Bonn. Chernomyrdin's assistant, Valentin Sergeyev said that US diplomat Strobe Talbott had proposed several changes to international peace proposals which were not included or agreed earlier. World Court declines to halt NATO bombing The United Nations' top court today rejected Yugoslav requests to halt NATO air strikes on its territory, but expressed concern about the legal basis for the bombing. Judges at the International Court of Justice said that Yugoslavia's complaints against eight NATO members did not fall under the Genocide Convention. But Presiding Judge Christopher Weeramantry said the court was troubled about the legal foundation for NATO's action: "The court is profoundly concerned about the use of force in Yugoslavia. Under the present circumstances such use raises very serious issues of international law". Yugoslavia had argued that NATO air strikes were illegal, basing its arguments on the U.N. charter, the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention. The case before the World Court has confronted NATO countries with an aspect of their campaign they had tried to keep quiet - the shaky legal grounds for military action. "Arguably there is no international legal justification for the bombing," said Olivier Ribbelink of the Asser Institute for International Law, noting that no single U.N. Security Council resolution legitimized the air campaign. The court ruling also decried the human effect of the conflict. "The court is deeply concerned with the human suffering and loss of life in Kosovo that forms the background of this case and with the continued loss of life and human suffering in all parts of Yugoslavia," Weeramantry said. He urged the states to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Yugoslavia sued 10 NATO states, arguing the bombing was tantamount to genocide. Belgrade asked for interim rulings, known as "provisional measures" to stop the bombing while the court considered Yugoslavia's complaint. Final ruling is likely to take years. Judgements of the World Court are final and without appeal. Public services in Belgrade seriously disrupted Intensified NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia's fuel facilities and power grid have seriously disrupted public transport, water and electricity supplies in the capital. Belgrade electricity officials, EDB said power supply is down to 18%. Damage caused by the bombs to some electricity distribution equipment is almost beyond repair. EDB struggles hard to supply electricity to priority consumers like hospitals, several water pumps and bakeries. Electricity shortages have also affected food producers and deep-freeze storage facilities. The city's water company said electricity shortages would continue to affect water supplies to the city of 2.5 million. Many parts of the city will continue to remain without water. Water will be supplied to those areas by trucks. An acute shortage of petrol following NATO strikes on fuel depots had forced Belgrade's state-run public transport company GSB to cut public transport drastically. The company said under the new schedule buses would run for two hours in the morning and for four hours in the afternoon. Schedules of trams would largely depend on the availability of electricity supplies. Beograd One missile struck area of Batajnica at 22.44. At 21.35, two missiles landed at area of Velika Mostanica and seven more on military barrack and power lines in Obrenovac. At the same time three missiles were fired on area of Ostruznica and four at Lipovicka Suma forest. At 23.10 one missile landed in Pancevo suburb Mali Rip damaging house of Limanovic family. One person was injured. Novi Sad At 01.20, three missiles destroyed TV transmitter at Iriski Venac on Fruska Gora. During the same attack, two missiles struck motel of "Elektrovojvodina" company. At 22.00 south slopes of Fruska Gora were attacked. Wine yards in the area were badly damaged. Several explosions were heard in Novi Sad from direction of Fruska Gora at 16.30. According to first information, TV transmitter Cot on Fruska Gora and Bukovac village near Petrovaradin. Kosovo Yesterday, between 18.00 and 19.00, Pastrik mountain near Djakovica was attacked with more than 10 missiles. Total of 11 missiles struck Pristina region between 01.20 and 03.25. During the attack, military barracks "Kosovski junaci" in suburb Kupusiste (1km from Pristina center) was attacked. Between 02.45 and 03.25 eight missiles landed Pec suburb Brezanik. Village Savinje, southeast of Lipljan was attacked with three missiles. Few minutes before midnight, area of Planeja village, municipality of Prizren, was attacked with 10 missiles. At 09.07 and 10.20 two missiles hit Grmija near Pristina. Between 13.40 and 14.40 more than 17 missiles hit areas of Pristina, Prizren and Decani. Over a 100 of the 1,047 Albanian refugees that were flown to Poland after fleeing Kosovo have left their shelters and crossed to Germany illegally. Ten were caught by border guards and the rest have disappeared. Other news In Monday attack on Novi Pazar, 14 people were killed, and 35 injured. Two more victims were identified: Raco Pravic and Dejan Milosevic. Number of identified victims is 11. On briefing today, NATO admitted that one of six missiles missed it's target and hit residental building. Yesterday at 18.00 village Misaca near Arandjelovac was hit with 2 missiles. Area of Ruma was hit at 23.00 with 2 missiles. After the attack Radio Srem wasn't heard any more. Nis was attacked around midnight and 01.30. Around 02.00 several detonations were heard in wide area of Cuprija when Dobricevo farm was attacked. At 03.00 villages of Markovce and Gornja Mikuljana near Kursumlija were attacked. At 11.25 two missiles hit Tv transmitter on Crni Vrh near Jagodina. Five minutes later, Vinoraca village was hit with seven missiles. At 12.10 three missiles hit Borca hill near Kraljevo. At the same time, TV transmitter on Nemic hill near Ljubovija was attacked with three missiles. At 12.11 Ponikve airport near Uzice was attacked with 5 missiles. At 13.25 transmitter near Dimitrovgrad was hit with 8 missiles. (c) Copyright Free Serbia, 1999. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nyteeu-06.04.99-01:00:53-23618