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Yugoslavia reports more civilian casualties in NATO attacks
An ethnic Albanian man, weak from walking for miles, is helped by fellow refugees as he crosses from Kosovo into Albania following his release from a Serb jail
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May 29, 1999
Web posted at: 9:27 p.m. EDT (0127 GMT)
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- NATO warplanes continued
attacks on Yugoslavia Saturday, killing three people, wounding 30 and destroying the center of a town,
Yugoslav media reported.
One person died and several were injured in the afternoon
when NATO bombs hit Camurlija, a village just northwest of
Nis, Serbia's third largest city, according to Tanjug,
Yugoslavia's official news agency.
Three Camurlija children remain hospitalized with serious
injuries after a missile crashed into a house, Tanjug said.
On Saturday, the 67th day of attacks, NATO aircraft flew more
than 600 missions, including 219 strike attacks, alliance
officials said.
Saturday's airstrikes hit airfields at Ponikve and Sjenica, a fuel storage area at the Batajnica air base northwest of
Belgrade and two military tanks, according to NATO.
State-run Serbian TV said NATO bombs also hit the country's
power grid, including a power plant at Drmno west of
Belgrade, and plunged much of the country into darkness.
NATO vowed to intensify the air assaults, discounting
Belgrade's statement that -- after talks with Russian envoy
Viktor Chernomyrdin -- it would accept the "general
principles" of a peace framework sketched out in early May by
Russia and the seven leading industrial nations.
Belgrade "must understand there will be no relief until
Yugoslavia accepts the non-negotiable demands of the
international community," said NATO spokesman Peter Daniel.
NATO and U.S. officials said there had to be concrete
evidence of Belgrade fulfilling key conditions, including a
military withdrawal from Kosovo to allow the entry of
international peacekeeping troops and the return of ethnic Albanian refugees.
"We ... certainly have seen no invitation for the displaced
people to return to their homes," said U.S. Navy Capt.
Michael Doubleday, a Pentagon spokesman.
Amid the continuing airstrikes, Russian Foreign Minister Igor
Ivanov on Saturday criticized NATO for its lukewarm
endorsements of Russia's diplomatic initiatives.
"Russian efforts and the direct efforts of ... Viktor
Chernomyrdin have not found the understanding and proper
support of NATO leadership," Ivanov said.
"NATO continues using ultimatums to insist Belgrade and the
entire international community accept the alliance's
demands."
The prime ministers of France and Germany called for a
meeting to assess the discussions this week between Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic and Chernomyrdin. The Russian
envoy plans to return to Belgrade next week for more
talks.
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CARE workers Pratt, left, and Wallace, right, were convicted of espionage by a Yugoslav military panel
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In other developments Saturday:
- Some 250 Kosovo men released from a Serb
prison crossed into Albania, the latest of some 2,000 men who
have been released over the past eight days.
- A five-judge Yugoslav military panel
convicted two Australian aid workers of espionage and
sentenced them to prison. CARE International worker Steven Pratt was sentenced to 12 years, and Peter Wallace was handed a four-year term. A Yugoslav CARE worker, Branko Jelen, received a six-year term. CARE officials insist the workers were innocent; their lawyers plan to appeal.
- Investigators interviewed Kosovo refugees at
Fort Dix, New Jersey, for evidence of possible war crimes by
Serb forces, a U.S. State Department official said. The
U.N. war crimes tribunal indicted Milosevic and four
top aids earlier in the week for crimes against humanity,
citing widespread reports of atrocities against Kosovo
Albanians.
- The Pentagon announced it will send another
68 aircraft to the Balkans next week. The new planes will
bring the NATO air fleet in the Balkans to a total of 1,089
aircraft, 769 from the United States.
- At the Pentagon, Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles
Wald expressed concern about risks associated with upcoming
humanitarian airdrops over Kosovo to help displaced ethnic Albanians. The first missions, scheduled for Monday, will be flown by Moldovan pilots in private planes. They will not have NATO escorts.
Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty, Correspondent Jonathan
Karl and Reuters contributed to this report.
RELATED STORIES:
Russian envoy 'very satisfied' with Milosevic talks May 28, 1999
U.S. offers evidence to back Yugoslav war crimes charges May 28, 1999
Refugees dodge shellfire, snipers May 28, 1999
U.S. balances refugee needs, war goals May 28, 1999
U.S. group to begin Kosovo airdrops Monday May 28, 1999
RELATED SITES:
Extensive list of Kosovo-related sites:
Kosovo
Yugoslavia:
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia official site
Kesovo and Metohija facts
Serbia Ministry of Information
Serbia Now! News
Kosovo:
Kosova Crisis Center
Kosovo - from Albanian.com
Military:
NATO official site
BosniaLINK - U.S. Dept. of Defense
U.S. Navy images from Operation Allied Force
U.K. Ministry of Defence - Kosovo news
U.K. Royal Air Force - Kosovo news
Jane's Defence - Kosovo Crisis
Resettlement Agencies Helping Kosovars in U.S.:
Church World Service
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
Iowa Department of Human Services
International Rescue Committee
Immigration and Refugee Services of America
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
United States Catholic Conference
Relief:
 Doctors without borders
 U.S. Agency for International Development (Kosovo aid)
 Doctors of the World
InterAction
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
International Committee of the Red Cross
Kosovo Humanitarian Disaster Forces Hundreds of Thousands from their Homes
Catholic Relief Services
Kosovo Relief
ReliefWeb: Home page
The Jewish Agency for Israel
Mercy International
UNHCR
Media:
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Independent Yugoslav radio stations B92
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
United States Information Agency - Kosovo Crisis
Other:
Expanded list of related sites on Kosovo
1997 view of Kosovo from space - Eurimage
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External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
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