All eyes on new leader

Vojislav Kostunica now leads a government welcomed by Yugoslavia's neighbors.

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- The downfall of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in October 2000 raised expectations for a more stable era in the war-torn Balkans. But months after Vojislav Kostunica took over the presidency, violent clashes underscore the continuing volatility of the region, particularly in Kosovo.

The seven countries bordering Yugoslavia have welcomed the chance to restore all political and economic relations with their neighbor under the post-Milosevic era.

Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia formally admitted Yugoslavia to the region's Stability Pact shortly after Kostunica was elected. The pact, sponsored by the United States and the European Union, aims to strengthen democracy and economic development in the post-war Balkans.

At the same time that Yugoslavia's neighbors admitted the country to the Stability Pact, they urged Kostunica's government to "remove the political system" created by Milosevic, who fomented four Balkan wars and defied demands from abroad to comply with Western democratic and human rights standards.

They added that they "urge Yugoslavia to cooperate with the international community and respect all resolutions" issued by the United Nations.

The U.N. war crimes tribunal has formally charged several former Serb leaders, including Milosevic, with crimes allegedly committed during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Kostunica has so far refused Western demands to extradite Milosevic and others to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.

As Kostunica's government faces growing international pressure to cooperate with the tribunal, it has also been confronted with a surge of violence in and around Kosovo.

Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic said that a February 16 bus bombing, which claimed the lives of seven Serbs in Kosovo, was a response by extremist ethnic Albanians to the efforts of Yugoslavia's new reformist leaders to bring peace to the Kosovo-Serbia border area through dialogue.

"We have had a maximum of tolerance, patience and desire to resolve the problem to prevent deaths of anyone, including the terrorists, but it is obvious by their reactions they are not interested in peace in this area," Zivkovic said.

He added that the attacks proved that the NATO peacekeeping force, known as KFOR, was failing to do its job properly.

NATO has defended its peacekeeping in Kosovo, saying it has made major efforts to improve boundary security and protect minorities. Its commanders said they can only do so much and that, ultimately, only Yugoslavia's leaders and its citizens can put an end to the violence.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.