Voice of America, 99-02-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] KOSOVO TALKS WRAP (L) BY LAURIE KASSMAN (RAMBOUILLET)

[02] RUSSIA/KOSOVO (S) BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

[03] YUGOSLAVIA/TALKS (L) BY PHILIP SMUCKER (BELGRADE)

[04] GERMANY / IRAN (L-ONLY) BY JONATHAN BRAUDE (BERLIN, GERMANY)

[01] KOSOVO TALKS WRAP (L) BY LAURIE KASSMAN (RAMBOUILLET)

INTRO: THE SIX NATION CONTACT GROUP HAS EXTENDED THE DEADLINE FOR THE KOSOVO PEACE TALKS UNTIL TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE TALKS IN RAMBOUILLET WERE DUE TO END ON SATURDAY BUT THE FOREIGN MINISTERS AGREED SUFFICIENT PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE TOWARD AN AGREEMENT TO WARRANT THE EXTENSION. CORRESPONDENT LAURIE KASSMAN REPORTS FROM RAMBOUILLET THE KEY STUMBLING BLOCK IS STILL YUGOSLAVIA'S REFUSAL TO ALLOW NATO TROOPS IN KOSOVO PROVINCE TO ENFORCE AN AGREEMENT.

TEXT: BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY ROBIN COOK SAYS EXTENDING THE DEAADLINE STILL OFFERS NO GUARANTEE AN AGREEMENT WILL BE SIGNED. BUT HE SAYS BOTH SIDES HAVE SHOWN ENOUGH PROGRESS TOWARD A SETTLEMENT TO WARRANT MORE TIME.

GIVEN THAT WE ARE CLOSE TO AN AGREEMENT ON BOTH SIDES, WE THINK IT IS RIGHT TO CARRY ON THE TALKS AND TO CARRY ON THE PRESSURE ON BOTH SIDES TO REACH AN AGREEMENT.

BUT U-S SECRETARY OF STATE MADELINE ALBRIGHT SAYS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF THE TALKS IS ON THE SERB DELEGATION AND ON YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC.

BELGRADE HAS SAID IT CAN ACCEPT THE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT ALTHOUGH MY SENSE IS THAT THIS IS NOT COMPLETELY FIRM. HOWEVER THE SERB REFUSAL TO EVEN CONSIDER A NATO-LED IMPLEMENTATION FORCE IN KOSOVO IS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILURE TO REACH FULL AGREEMENT.

SECRETARY ALBRIGHT INSISTS A POLITICAL AGREEMENT CANNOT BE SEPARATED FROM THE SECURITY DIMENSION, WHICH WOULD GUARANTEE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE PLAN. SHE DOES NOT RULE OUT NATO AIR STRIKES IF AN AGREEMENT IS NOT REACHED BY THE NEW DEADLINE.

AND I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP HOPE THAT FACED WITH THE BLEAK ALTERNATIVE BOTHS SIDES WILL TAKE YES FOR AN ANSWER ON EVERY ELEMENT OF THIS SETTLEMENT.

SECRETARY ALBRIGHT SAYS THE CONTACT GROUP AGREED MORE TIME IS NEEDED FOR THE KOSOVAR ALBANIAN DELEGATION TO CLARIFY CERTAIN POINTS OF THE AUTONOMY PLAN THAT GUARANTEES THEIR POLITICL RIGHTS AND CULTURAL IDENTITY. (SIGNED)
NEB/SD
20-Feb-99 5:43 PM EST (2243 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] RUSSIA/KOSOVO (S) BY PETER HEINLEIN (MOSCOW)

INTRO: RUSSIA IS URGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT IN HOPES THAT TALKS NEAR PARIS MAY STILL RESULT IN A PEACE DEAL FOR KOSOVO. V-O-A MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT PETER HEINLEIN HAS DETAILS.

TEXT: AS THE DEADLINE FOR AGREEMENT ON KOSOVO PASSED, RUSSIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUED A STATEMENT EXPRESSING OPTIMISM THE PEACE TALKS AT RAMBOUILLET CAN STILL SUCCEED.

THE STATEMENT SAID NEGOTIATIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN CLOSER TO A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT.

RUSSIA HAS CONSISTENTLY OPPOSED NATO MILITARY ACTION IN THE BALKANS. MOSCOW IS THE SERBS CLOSEST ALLY AMONG THE SIX NATION CONTACT GROUP ON YUGOSLAVIA.

FOREIGN MINISTER IGOR IVANOV SATURDAY ACCUSED THE UNITED STATES OF TRYING TO SIDESTEP THE UNITED NATIONS AND IMPOSE THE USE OF FORCE IN KOSOVO.

IN A SEPARATE STATEMENT, THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE RUSSIAN ARMED FORCES SAID AIR STRIKES MIGHT CAUSE MOSCOW TO RECONSIDER ITS RELATIONS WITH NATO. EARLIER, PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN WARNED RUSSIA WOULD NOT ALLOW AIR STRIKES, BUT GAVE NO INDICATION WHAT HE MIGHT DO IF THEY TAKE PLACE. (SIGNED)
NEB/PFH/DW/GE
20-Feb-99 8:32 AM EST (1332 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[03] YUGOSLAVIA/TALKS (L) BY PHILIP SMUCKER (BELGRADE)

INTRO: WITH THE DEADLINE FOR A PEACE DEAL COME AND GONE, THE SERBIAN REGIME STILL INSISTS IT WILL NOT ALLOW FOREIGN TROOPS INTO KOSOVO. AT THE SAME TIME, WESTERN PEACE MONITORS IN KOSOVO REPORT INCREASED INCIDENTS OF HARASSMENT BY SERBIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES. PHILIP SMUCKER REPORTS FROM BELGRADE.

TEXT: SERBIAN OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL NEVER ALLOW NATO TROOPS IN KOSOVO EVEN IF NATO MAKES GOOD ITS THREAT TO BOMB.

THE STATE-CONTROLLED MEDIA ACCUSES NATO OF SIDING WITH "ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS" AND WARNS THAT THE MILITARY WILL DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST A NATO ATTACK.

HUNDREDS OF WESTERN BUSINESSMEN AND EMBASSY PERSONNEL HAVE LEFT BELGRADE. SATURDAY MORNING ABOUT 75 AMERICANS WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND PETS JOINED A CONVOY AND HEADED FOR BUDAPEST.

AMERICAN OFFICIALS BASED IN KOSOVO REPORT FRESH DEPLOYMENTS OF YUGOSLAV ARMY TANKS AND HEAVY ARTILLERY NORTH OF KOSOVO. THEY SAY WESTERN PEACE MONITORS ARE BEING DRAGGED OUT OF CARS, SEARCHED AND, IN SOME CASES, PREVENTED FROM LEAVING KOSOVO. DESPITE THESE REPORTS OF HARASSMENT, NO ORDERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO PULL MONITORS OUT.

ANY ELEVENTH HOUR (LAST MOMENT) DEAL FOR PEACE IN KOSOVO STILL HINGES ON A DECISION FROM YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC TO ALLOW NATO PEACEKEEPERS INTO SERBIA.

THE SERBIAN LEADER HAS SHOWN NO SIGNS OF GIVING IN. THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE WHERE ALBANIANS OUTNUMBER SERBS NEARLY NINE TO ONE, IS SEEN BY MANY SERBS AS THEIR CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL HEARTLAND.

A SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE KOSOVO VERIFICATION MISSION, BEATRICE LACOSTE, SAYS SERBIAN FORCES SURROUNDED THE TOWN OF PRIZREN AND HARASSED INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS FRIDAY NIGHT.

ONE MONITOR WAS HELD AT GUNPOINT.

THE SPOKESWOMAN DESCRIBED ANOTHER INCIDENT WHEN NINE INTERNATIONAL MONITORS WERE SURROUNDED BY A STONE THROWING MOB BEFORE BEING EVACUATED TO A LARGER TOWN. (SIGNED)
NEB/PS/DW/GE
20-Feb-99 11:05 AM EST (1605 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[04] GERMANY / IRAN (L-ONLY) BY JONATHAN BRAUDE (BERLIN, GERMANY)

INTRO: THE IRANIAN SUPREME COURT HAS QUASHED THE DEATH SENTENCE AGAINST 56 YEAR OLD GERMAN BUSINESSMAN HELMUT HOFER (HOH' FER). THE SENTENCE HAD BEEN STRAINING RELATIONS BETWEEN BONN AND TEHRAN. BUT THE CASE HAS NOW BEEN SENT BACK TO ANOTHER COURT FOR A NEW HEARING. JONATHAN BRUADE (BROW' DAH) REPORTS FROM BERLIN.

TEXT: THE DECISION TO OVERTURN THE SENTENCE AGAINST THE GERMAN BUSINESSMAN, WHO HAD BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HAVING A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A MUSLIM WOMAN, WAS REPORTED IN THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT DAILY NEWSPAPER AND CONFIRMED BY A JUDICIAL SPOKESMAN IN TEHRAN.

BUT THE SPOKESMAN, SAEED NOBARI, REPORTEDLY SAID THE SENTENCE HAD BEEN ANNULLED BECAUSE OF WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS PROBLEMS WITH THE CASE. HE DID NOT ELABORATE. NOW, HOWEVER, THE CASE GOES BACK TO THE COURTS FOR THE THIRD TIME. MR. HOFER HAS BEEN IN PRISON IN IRAN FOR 17 MONTHS. HE WAS FIRST SENTENCED TO DEATH IN JANUARY, 1998 FOR ALLEGED SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH AN UNMARRIED IRANIAN STUDENT, HALF HIS AGE. THE RULING WAS CONFIRMED BY ANOTHER COURT FOUR MONTHS AGO, AFTER A RETRIAL.

YET MR. HOFER NOT ONLY INSISTS HE HAD NO SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH THE STUDENT YAHIDEH QASSEMI, HE ALSO SAYS HE CONVERTED TO ISLAM MORE THAN TEN YEARS AGO. THAT IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE IRANIAN LAW PUNISHES SEX BETWEEN UNMARRIED MUSLIMS WITH FLOGGING, BUT A NON-MUSLIM MAN INVOLVED IN SUCH A RELATIONSHIP FACES THE DEATH PENALTY.

IT WAS HIS INSISTENCE THAT HE HAD CONVERTED WHICH PROMPTED THE JUSTICE MINISTRY TO ORDER A RETRIAL THE FIRST TIME.

GERMANY'S RELATIONS WITH IRAN, ALREADY TENSE BEFORE THE ARREST, WERE FURTHER STRAINED BY THE CASE. SO FAR, ITS IS NOT CLEAR HOW GERMANY WILL REACT TO THE DECISION TO SEND THE CASE BACK TO THE COURTS. (SIGNED)
NEB/JB/PLM
20-Feb-99 4:25 AM EST (0925 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

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