ad info




CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
   africa
   americas
   asianow
   europe
   middle east
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 NATURE
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 HEALTH
 STYLE
 IN-DEPTH

 custom news
 Headline News brief
 daily almanac
 CNN networks
 CNN programs
 on-air transcripts
 news quiz

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 TIME INC. SITES:
 MORE SERVICES:
 video on demand
 video archive
 audio on demand
 news email services
 free email accounts
 desktop headlines
 pointcast

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

 SITE GUIDES:
 help
 contents
 search

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 WEB SERVICES:

 

World - Europe

U.S., Russia extend talks on Russian role in KFOR

Russian paratroopers slated for deployment in Kosovo train at a shooting range in Ryazan, Russia, Thursday

 MILITARY PLAN:
Focus on
Kosovo
related videoRELATED VIDEO
With Russia continuing to insist on a major role in Yugoslavia, Russians worry about the economic impact. CNN's Steve Harrigan reports. (June 17)
Windows Media 28K 80K
Interactive INTERACTIVE
KFOR enters Kosovo

NATO rolls into Kosovo
 ALSO:
KLA rebels accused of vandalizing Serb monastery

Kosovo refugees ignore dangers to return home

U.S., France won't rebuild Yugoslavia if Milosevic stays

China rejects U.S. explanation of embassy bombing

 MESSAGE BOARD:
Crisis in Kosovo
 IN-DEPTH SPECIAL:
Focus on Kosovo
 

Effort to break deadlock to resume Friday

June 17, 1999
Web posted at: 6:53 p.m. EDT (2253 GMT)


In this story:

Sources say no Russian sector in U.S. proposal

Clinton: Atmosphere 'positive and hopeful'

RELATED STORIES, SITES icon



HELSINKI, Finland (CNN) -- U.S. and Russian negotiators met late into the night Thursday, trying to break a deadlock over Russia's role in the Kosovo peacekeeping mission, known as KFOR.

After about 12 hours of talks in the Finnish capital, U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen emerged to say the two sides would continue efforts to find a solution.

"We have made great progress today and resolved a lot of outstanding issues, but we have not yet finalized an agreement," Cohen said.

Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev was also upbeat.

"We have optimism to reach agreement at our level in order to have something to report to our presidents," he said.

The meeting was adjourned shortly after midnight and set to resume Friday morning.

Cohen submitted a "detailed proposal" for Russia's review earlier Thursday, the second day of the Helsinki talks. A senior Defense Department official said the proposal is aimed at resolving the last outstanding issue between the United States and Russia, but the official would not say what the sticking point was.

Other U.S. officials said the talks have foundered on a Russian demand for control of a separate zone in Kosovo. That is a demand that NATO countries, which lead the KFOR mission, have refused.

Cohen and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright are leading the U.S. delegation in Helsinki in talks with their Russian counterparts -- Sergeyev and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

Sources say no Russian sector in U.S. proposal

Those close to the talks said the plan Cohen presented does not create a new sector for the Russians. U.S. officials would not say if they were optimistic about the prospects for reaching an agreement Thursday.

"Both sides want to reach an agreement," one said. "That much is clear from these talks."

Among the topics in Helsinki was the contingent of about 200 Russian troops that moved unexpectedly into Kosovo early Saturday, taking control of Pristina's airport.

According to the Russians, the Helsinki talks have settled the question of Russia's role at the airport. But U.S. officials said the issues have to be settled as a whole, not one by one.

The Russians have kept NATO from setting up a planned base at the airfield, but British troops around the airport have kept them supplied with food and water, said Adm. Ian Garnett, Britain's chief of joint operations.

Russia, which is not a NATO member, also has balked at placing its troops under a NATO commander, British Lt. Gen. Mike Jackson said.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin said in Moscow that Russia would not drop its demand that Russian peacekeepers control their own sector and he relayed that stance when he spoke by telephone with Sergeyev.

"In principle, most of the issues have been resolved peacefully," Yeltsin said in comments broadcast on television. "But one question, which I would undoubtedly call the principal one, is sectors. In other words, they don't want to give Russia a sector."

Clinton: Atmosphere 'positive and hopeful'

In Paris, U.S. President Bill Clinton was still predicting a "successful conclusion" to the talks Thursday.

"The atmosphere is pretty positive and pretty hopeful," Clinton said on the lawn of Elysee Palace after a meeting with French President Jacques Chirac.

Sergeyev struck an optimistic tone as well, predicting that differences about Russian participation would be resolved by the weekend.

"We're moving in the right direction," Sergeyev said. "Along every road, we made a different progress."

Correspondents Andrea Koppel and Jamie McIntyre contributed to this report.


RELATED STORIES:
KLA rebels accused of vandalizing Serb monastery
June 17, 1999
Kosovo refugees ignore dangers to return home
June 17, 1999
The tide turns: Kosovo Albanians return home as Serbs flee
June 16, 1999
U.S., Russia near deal on Russian troops in KFOR
June 16, 1999

RELATED SITES:
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:
  • World 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
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

 LATEST HEADLINES:
SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.