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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jbe who wrote (15243)	11/9/1999 1:59:00 PM
From: goldsnow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

I got it..you think that something of substance was said privately..(IMF, Sunction threat so on) and I think nothing of substance except irrelevant noise was transmitted....We shall see..

To: jbe who wrote (15243)	11/9/1999 7:33:00 PM
From: goldsnow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

Double Standard In West On Chechnya, Ivanov Says MOSCOW, Nov 9, 1999 -- (Reuters) Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov accused the West on Monday of double standards in its approach to Chechnya, saying it had shown little interest in the problems of Yugoslavia after 11 weeks of NATO bombing. Ivanov, speaking to reporters after meeting Western ambassadors, also said the Western media was blowing out of proportion the difficulties associated with the 200,000 refugees fleeing the upsurge in fighting in separatist Chechnya. "Apparently, somebody intends to create the illusion of a humanitarian catastrophe and then apply pressure on Russia," Ivanov said. "Why are the organizations now coming to the North Caucasus so lacking in passion about the situation in Yugoslavia, which lost 50 percent of its industry as a result of the (West's) aggression, and today faces a humanitarian catastrophe? "Why hasn't a single mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) or the European Union gone to Yugoslavia to examine the state of affairs there?" Ivanov said this approach raised questions about the West's impartiality on humanitarian issues. "This gives rise to questions, both in terms of moral issues and in terms of double standards." Moscow fiercely opposed NATO's air campaign waged earlier this year to force Yugoslav authorities to grant autonomy to the ethnic Albanians forming a majority in its province of Kosovo. But it has sent troops to work within the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo following the departure of Yugoslav Serb military forces and police. MOSCOW DISMISSES PARALLELS BETWEEN KOSOVO AND CHECHNYA Russia has rejected parallels between NATO's action and its own six-week-old campaign into Chechnya, saying it wants to subdue Islamic extremists it accuses of regional subversion and bomb attacks on Russian cities. The rebels, operating outside the control of Chechnya's authorities, say they had nothing to do with the explosions. Most of the refugees fleeing the Russian offensive have sought shelter in Ingushetia, a neighboring Russian region with few resources to cope with such an influx. The Russian military's closure of the main checkpoint into Chechnya for 12 days trapped tens of thousands of refugees on both sides of the crossing point. The checkpoint was reopened after expressions of alarm from humanitarian organizations. Western countries have denounced Moscow's handling of the refugee influx and delegations from the European Union and the U.N. refugee agency have already visited camps in the area. An OSCE delegation is expected soon. The United States appealed anew to Moscow for restraint in its military action to promote a political solution in Chechnya, from which Russian troops withdrew after a 1994-96 war. "We believe strongly that the Russians cannot impose a military solution and that they need to actively seek a dialogue to find a political solution," White House spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters. NORDIC COUNTRIES CAUTION RUSSIA In Stockholm on Monday, the prime ministers of Nordic Council countries Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland called on Russia to halt its military onslaught and seek a political solution instead. Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, at a news conference, said he respected the territorial integrity of Russia and its fight against what Moscow calls "terrorists". "But we cannot see these goals as reasons for the big military operation in Chechnya for the time being." Ivanov told reporters that Russia welcomed offers of assistance in helping house and feed the refugees, though it was capable of coping on its own. "The Russian leadership is capable of resolving all problems it faces in the region independently." Ivanov met the ambassadors of the G7 industrialized nations, which include Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan as well as diplomats from Norway and from Finland, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. (C)1999 Copyright Reuters Limited.