Voice of America, 99-03-13

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From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] KOSOVO/ALBANIANS (S&L) -- CQ BY PHILIP SMUCKER (PRISTINA)

[02] E-U-FOREIGN MINISTERS (S&L) (ELTVILLE, GERMANY)

[03] E-U-FOREIGN MINISTERS, UPDATE (S&L) BY RON PEMSTEIN (ELTVILLE, GERMANY)

[01] KOSOVO/ALBANIANS (S&L) -- CQ BY PHILIP SMUCKER (PRISTINA)

INTRO: ETHNIC ALBANIAN REBEL LEADERS LEFT FOR PARIS PEACE TALKS SATURDAY SAYING THEY WOULD SIGN A PEACE DEAL IF IT INCLUDES NATO PEACEKEEPERS ON THE GROUND IN KOSOVO. MEANWHILE, BOMB BLASTS RIPPED ETHNIC ALBANIAN MARKETPLACES IN THE SERB-CONTROLLED NORTHERN CITIES OF PODUJEVO AND MITROVICA. PHILIP SMUCKER REPORTS FROM PRISTINA.

TEXT: ETHNIC ALBANIAN LEADERS, INCLUDING FIVE MEMBERS OF THE KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY, BOARDED A FRENCH MILITARY PLANE SAYING THEY WILL SIGN A NATO-BACKED PEACE DEAL.

AS THEY WERE LEAVING, THREE MAJOR BOMB BLASTS RIPPED THROUGH TWO NORTHERN KOSOVO CITIES.

THE BLASTS -- TWO OF THEM IN MARKETPLACES PACKED WITH ETHNIC ALBANIAN SHOPPERS -- APPEARED TIMED TO UPSET THE PEACE PROCESS.

THE REBEL DELEGATES SAY THEY ARE READY TO SIGN THE WESTERN-BACKED KOSOVO PEACE DEAL, BUT ONLY IF IT INCLUDES A STRONG NATO PRESENCE IN KOSOVO.

YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC HAS REFUSED TO ALLOW ANY NATO PEACEKEEPERS ON SERBIAN SOIL.

[02] E-U-FOREIGN MINISTERS (S&L) (ELTVILLE, GERMANY)

CORRESPONDENT=RON PEMSTEIN CONTENT=
VOICED AT:

INTRO: THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ARE GATHERING TO DISCUSS THE PROSPECTS OF PEACE IN KOSOVO AND OTHER CURRENT ISSUES IN EUROPE. V-O-A'S RON PEMSTEIN REPORTS FROM ELTVILLE, GERMANY ON SOME OF THE TOPICS FACING THE MINISTERS.

TEXT: AT THEIR LUNCHEON MEETING IN THE LUXURY REINHARTSHAUSEN PALACE HOTEL, KOSOVO WAS AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA.

GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER GEORGE PAPANDREOU WAS IN A POSITION TO BRIEF THE MINISTERS ON HIS MEETING WITH YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC. HE COULD TELL THEM OF YUGOSLAVIA'S CONTINUED REFUSAL TO ALLOW NATO-LED PEACEKEEPERS INTO THE SERBIAN PROVINCE.

BRITAIN'S FOREIGN SECRETARY ROBIN COOK AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER HUBERT VEDRINE ARE THE CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE KOSOVO PEACE TALKS THAT RESUME MONDAY IN FRANCE. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR SUGGESTIONS FROM THEIR COLLEAGUES ON HOW TO PROCEED IF THE KOSOVO ALBANIANS SIGN THE DRAFT PEACE PLAN, BUT THE SERBS CONTINUE TO REFUSE NATO-LED TROOPS TO IMPLEMENT IT.

ELEVEN OF THE 15 EUROPEAN UNION MINISTERS REPRESENT NATO MEMBERS THAT HAVE AGREED TO USE AIR STRIKES TO ENFORCE A KOSOVO PEACE AGREEMENT.

AFTER KOSOVO, THE AGENDA IS OPEN FOR THE MINISTERS AT WHAT IS INTENDED TO BE A TWO-DAY MEETING TO LOOK AT LONG RANGE ISSUES FACING EUROPE.

ONE OF THOSE IS TURKEY. THE EUROPEANS HAVE CALLED FOR A FAIR TRIAL FOR KURDISH LEADER ABDULLAH OCULAN. AT THE SAME TIME, RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND TURKEY REMAIN COOL.

ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LAMBERTO DINI CAN BRIEF HIS COLLEAGUES ON THE VISIT TO ROME BY IRAN'S PRESIDENT, THE FIRST TO EUROPE BY AN IRANIAN LEADER SINCE THE 1979 REVOLUTION.

BRITISH OFFICIALS SAY FOREIGN SECRETARY COOK WANTS TO ELABORATE ON PLANS TO GIVE WESTERN EUROPE A COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY. THE BRITISH PROPOSAL IS TO HAVE A FULL-TIME COMMITTEE OF DIPLOMATS BASED IN BRUSSELS.

AT THEIR FINAL MEETING SUNDAY MORNING, THE MINISTERS WILL STUDY THE PROSPECTS FOR AGREEMENT ON THE FUTURE BUDGET OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.

BRITAIN AND FRANCE HAVE ALREADY RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THE FINANCING OF THE PROPOSED AGRICULTURE PACKAGE AGREED LAST WEEK BY FARM MINISTERS. PORTUGAL HAS OPENLY REJECTED IT.

EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS MEET IN TEN DAYS IN BERLIN FOR A MEETING DESIGNED TO SET THE BUDGET NEEDED TO ALLOW EXPANSION OF THE MEMBERSHIP TO NEW COUNTRIES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE BY THE YEAR 2002. (SIGNED)
NEB/RDP/DW
13-Mar-99 8:52 AM EST (1352 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] E-U-FOREIGN MINISTERS, UPDATE (S&L) BY RON PEMSTEIN (ELTVILLE, GERMANY)

INTRO: THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION HAVE BEEN MEETING TO DISCUSS THE PROSPECTS OF PEACE IN KOSOVO AND OTHER CURRENT ISSUES IN EUROPE. V-O-A'S RON PEMSTEIN REPORTS FROM ELTVILLE, GERMANY THAT KOSOVO DOMINATED THEIR TALKS.

TEXT: KOSOVO WAS AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA FOR THE MINISTERS AS THEY MET AT A LUXURY HOTEL ALONG THE RHINE RIVER. GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER JOSCHKA FISCHER TELLS REPORTERS THROUGH AN INTERPRETER, ALL THE MINISTERS AGREE TO PUSH BOTH SIDES TO SIGN THE DRAFT PEACE AGREEMENT FOR THE SERBIAN PROVINCE.

TODAY, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT AN INVASION OF KOSOVO WITH GROUND TROOPS. WE TALKED TODAY ABOUT THE RAMBOUILLET PROCESS. IN THE CONTEXT OF THAT RAMBOUILLET PROCESS WE SHALL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE THE PEACE PROCESS POSSIBLE.

THE GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER DID NOT SAY WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO REJECT NATO PEACEKEEPERS TO PATROL KOSOVO TO ENFORCE A PEACE AGREEMENT. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO PEACE, HE SAYS, IS WAR, MEANING MORE REFUGEES AND MORE CASUALTIES IN KOSOVO.

FOREIGN MINISTER FISCHER DOES DENY GIVING A DEADLINE TO THE SERBS AND ALBANIANS TO SIGN A PEACE AGREEMENT AT THE CONFERENCE THAT RESUMES IN FRANCE ON MONDAY. HE SAYS HE EXPECTS SIGNATURES RAPIDLY BUT NO DEADLINE HAS BEEN SET BY THE MINISTERS.

BRITAIN'S FOREIGN SECRETARY ROBIN COOK AND FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER HUBERT VEDRINE ARE THE CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE KOSOVO PEACE TALKS. ELEVEN OF THE 15 EUROPEAN UNION MINISTERS REPRESENT NATO MEMBERS THAT HAVE AGREED TO USE AIR STRIKES TO ENFORCE A KOSOVO PEACE AGREEMENT.

AFTER KOSOVO, THE MINISTERS DISCUSSED THE COOL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND TURKEY. THE EUROPEANS CALL FOR A FAIR TRIAL FOR KURDISH LEADER ABDULLAH OCALAN WITH INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS PRESENT. AT THE SAME TIME, RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND TURKEY REMAIN COOL. THE EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS HANS VAN DEN BROEK SAYS THE MINISTERS WANT KURDISH RIGHTS RESPECTED IN TURKEY.

THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED IN FACT, TO NOW SERIOUSLY LOOK FOR POLITICAL SOLUTIONS TO THE KURDISH PROBLEM AND TO RESPECT THEIR LEGITIMATE CULTURAL RIGHTS THAT THIS MINORITY HAS IN TURKEY AND THAT THIS ISSUE AS SUCH IN OUR VIEW SHOULD BE ENTIRELY SEPARATED FROM THE OCALAN CASE AND THE P-K-K DISCUSSION AND THE WAY WE LOOK TOWARDS THAT MOVEMENT AS SUCH.

AT THEIR FINAL MEETING SUNDAY MORNING, THE MINISTERS WILL STUDY THE PROSPECTS FOR AGREEMENT ON THE FUTURE BUDGET OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. BRITAIN AND FRANCE HAVE ALREADY RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THE FINANCING OF THE PROPOSED AGRICULTURE PACKAGE AGREED TO LAST WEEK BY FARM MINISTERS. PORTUGAL HAS OPENLY REJECTED IT. EUROPEAN UNION LEADERS MEET IN 10 DAYS IN BERLIN FOR A MEETING DESIGNED TO SET THE BUDGET NEEDED TO ALLOW EXPANSION OF THE MEMBERSHIP TO NEW COUNTRIES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE BY THE YEAR 2002. (SIGNED)
BEB/RP/GE
13-Mar-99 2:25 PM EST (1925 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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