(25 Mar 1999) English/Nat
As the second round of NATO air strikes got underway in Yugoslavia, President Clinton said only Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic can stop the bombing of his country.
But with Milosevic showing no signs of backing down, American defence officials say allied forces are bracing themselves for a sustained bombing campaign.
And as tensions spread to neighbouring states, U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned the Yugoslav President not to use the bombings as an excuse for wider regional unrest.
President Clinton's national security team arrived at the White House on Thursday - just a few hours before the second wave of airstrikes was expected to begin.
At the start of an Oval Office meeting with his advisors, Clinton told reporters he's grateful all NATO pilots returned safely from their first missions.
He issued yet another warning to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic: choose peace or suffer the consequences.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I am very grateful that our crews returned home safely after their work last night, and I am very grateful that the United States Congress has expressed its support for them. I want to say again that our purpose here is to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe or a wider war. Our objective is to make it clear that Serbia must either choose peace or we will limit its ability to make war."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U-S President
Asked how Milosevic can stop the bombing, Clinton put the responsibility on his Yugoslav counterpart.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I think he knows what needs to be done."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, US President
At a State department briefing a short while later, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright insisted diplomatic channels remain open.
And she urged Milosevic to return to the peace table.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"These strikes are not an end in themselves. Rather, they are a means we had hoped would not be necessary - to an end that is necessary. That goal is peace and stability in Kosovo and throughout the Balkans. In the days to come, our diplomatic efforts toward that end will continue, and we remind President Milosevic that the accords negotiated at Rambouillet are still on the table. They remain the best hope for a peaceful future in Kosovo and for a return to normalcy for all of the people of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia."
SUPER CAPTION: Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State
Still, Albright acknowledged there is no indication that Milosevic has changed his position.
And she warned the Yugoslav president NATO will not tolerate further attacks on neighbouring republics or journalists.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I also want to stress that President Milosevic should not attempt to use this crisis to broaden the conflict or spread violence and instability elsewhere in the region. Nor should he attack the democratically elected government of Montenegro, whose approach to the crisis has been rational and constructive, in stark contrast to that of President Milosevic. And it must be very clear that we will not tolerate attacks on Americans or other foreigners
or mistreatment of foreign journalists in Serbia."
SUPER CAPTION: US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
There is also evidence Milosevic is unbowed by the strikes against him.
American National Security Advisor Sandy Berger said fighting between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo has actually increased since the NATO bombing campaign began.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: National Security Advisor Sandy Berger
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
