Yugoslav media reported that at least 20 people died when a NATO bomb hit this bus Monday RELATED VIDEO: CNN's John Raedler reports NATO is targeting Serbian electricity transformers (May 3) Windows Media 28K 80K What does Russian envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin hope to gain by delivering his plan directly to President Clinton? CNN's Betsy Aaron investigates. (May 3) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K To view the latest video streams on the strikes in Kosovo, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery.        Windows Media Real        28 K 80 K IMAGE GALLERY: Latest from Kosovo The Kosovo refugees The Serbs and Kosovo  ALSO: Jackson urges Clinton to call Milosevic Blair visits Macedonia camp as refugee crisis boils Officer: Freed soldiers possibly mistreated  MESSAGE BOARD: Crisis in Kosovo  MAPS: NATO officials describe the air campaign  IN-DEPTH SPECIAL: NATO at 50 Strike on Yugoslavia

May 3, 1999
Web posted at: 9:58 p.m. EDT (0158 GMT)

In this story: Clinton dangles chance of 'bombing pause' Milosevic seeks meeting with Clinton Belgrade says NATO bomb hit second bus RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Russian special envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin emerged from a White House meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton Monday without a major breakthrough on the Kosovo crisis, but said the two had moved "closer to a diplomatic solution."

"It's a very complicated issue," said Chernomyrdin, who resumed talks Monday night with U.S. Vice President Al Gore. "We'll keep on working and remain hopeful."

Chernomyrdin was dispatched to Washington after a meeting Sunday of President Boris Yeltsin's Cabinet, during which Russia's foreign policy team plotted strategy.

He met with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade last Friday.

Although the details of the Russian proposals for Kosovo are unknown, Chernomyrdin has hinted that Milosevic is now flexible on the critical issue of an international peacekeeping force in the province.

Belgrade has repeatedly balked at proposals for any armed NATO presence in Kosovo.

Clinton on Monday indicated a willingness to "have a bombing pause" in Yugoslavia if Milosevic accepts NATO demands for the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops from Kosovo, the safe return of refugees and the entry of an international peacekeeping force.

Clinton added that there was "plenty to talk about" within the limits of the NATO terms, which require "at least the beginning of withdrawal of Serb forces.

The president also suggested that NATO would be flexible in the makeup of the peacekeeping force to include soldiers from non-NATO countries.

A State Department official told CNN that it would be "possible if not likely" that Russian and perhaps Ukrainian troops could occupy parts of Kosovo with large Serb populations.

American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who secured the release of three American soldiers held prisoner by Yugoslav authorities for more than a month, is expected to meet with Clinton late Monday. Jackson is carrying a letter from Milosevic asking for a face-to-face meeting with the American president.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said such a meeting was unlikely.

"I would suggest that (Milosevic) shouldn't keep too much time available on his schedule," Lockhart said.

Meanwhile, Yugoslav media reported Monday that NATO airstrikes struck a bus traveling from the western Kosovo city of Pec to Rozaje in neighboring Montenegro, killing at least 20 people.

There was no immediate confirmation from NATO officials on the noontime airstrike, nor could the report be independently confirmed.

If true, it would be the second bus mistakenly struck by NATO bombs in three days. NATO admitted that a bomb struck a bus crossing a bridge north of Pristina on Saturday. Serb media said 39 people died in that attack.

Overnight, airstrikes took on what NATO officials called a "new feature" of bombing -- striking at Yugoslavia's power grid. Nearly three quarters of the country was plunged into darkness Sunday night when NATO bombs hit five power facilities.

"No power means no runway lights, no secure communications at all," said NATO spokesman Jamie Shea during the alliance's regular briefing. "NATO has its finger on the light switch in Yugoslavia, and we can turn the power off when we need to and when we want to."

Pentagon sources said NATO used so-called "soft" bombs that explode over the targets, and then shower the electric transformers and lines with tiny carbon fibers that short out the systems.

Chernomyrdin met with Clinton in Washington in an attempt to resolve the Kosovo crisis

Earlier, Shea said that NATO had taken precautions "to ensure that important civilian facilities, like hospitals, had ... back-up transformers to keep their systems running through these power outages."

"We regret the inconvenience that power outages have caused the Serb people," Shea said in Brussels, "but we had no choice to continue attacking every element of the Yugoslav armed forces until such time as President Milosevic meets the demands of the international community."

Large parts of Yugoslavia were still without electricity Monday.

Serb media also said that NATO missiles meant to strike an ammunition factory in Valjevo apparently missed their targets, striking a residential area. International journalists said about 40 homes in the town were damaged. NATO acknowledged that the factory was a target, but could not confirm any errant bombs.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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