Yeltsin says Yugoslavia bombing to begin in hours
Hi John, guess Yeltsin can't keep a secret.
MOSCOW, March 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Boris Yeltsin, in a televised address on Wednesday, said U.S. President Bill Clinton and French President Jacques Chirac had told him NATO would begin bombing Yugoslavia in "a few hours".
"I have just spoken to French President Jacques Chirac and Bill Clinton. The talk with Clinton was very lengthy. They said the bombing of Kosovo by military forces of NATO will begin in a few hours," Yeltsin said in the taped address. He urged people around the world to dissuade Clinton before it was too late.
"I appeal to the whole world...to all politicians, while there are still a few minutes left, let us convince Clinton not to take this tragic, dramatic step," he said.
Yeltsin, who visited his Kremlin office for the first time in nearly a month, spoke forcefully.
"This is the security of Europe. This is a war in Europe, and maybe even more," he said. "I want peaceful political negotiations with (Yugoslav President Slobodan) Milosevic.
"Yes, (Milosevic) is a difficult negotiator. Sometimes you have to speak to him two, three, five, 10 or 20 times. But we shouldn't regret talking to him those 10, 20 times for the sake of the hundreds and hundreds of people who will die in a few hours."
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