Russia joins West in call for YU democracy
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 15, 2000 -- (Reuters) Russia joined five leading Western powers on Thursday in calling on Yugoslavia to respect democratic norms and warning Belgrade to refrain from political violence in Serbia or against Montenegro.Foreign ministers of the Contact Group issued the call 10 days before crucial presidential and parliamentary polls, in which several opinion polls show President Slobodan Milosevic trailing moderate opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica.
A joint statement said they "look forward to a democratic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, so that it can be reintegrated in the international community and play its rightful part in contributing to the stability of the entire region."
The ministers from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Russia, and European Union officials, warned Serbia against "any threat or use of force against Montenegro", its smaller sister republic in the Yugoslav federation.
It was their first meeting since the Contact Group, created to coordinate Balkan peace efforts, broke up in acrimony over NATO's 1999 Kosovo war, which Russia bitterly opposed.
The statement was softened from a draft that called for "democratic change", but Western diplomats said it still marked a significant shift by Russia, a traditional ally of Serbia.
BELGRADE TOLD TO REFRAIN FROM VIOLENCE
Ministers voiced concern at a revision of the Yugoslav constitution that allowed Milosevic to stand for re-election and urged Belgrade "to refrain from any action that would contribute to the further escalation of violence."
Their warning came on a day when Serb supporters of Milosevic attacked and stoned Kostunica in the Kosovo town of Kosovska Mitrovica, slightly injuring the candidate.
The ministers called on the Serbian opposition to "continue to contribute to the peaceful democratic development" of Yugoslavia and said they would evaluate the elections on the basis of internationally recognized standards.
The European Union pledged this week a radical revision of its policy of sanctions and isolation towards Belgrade if Serbs vote for change. But Western officials say they expect Milosevic to cling to power whatever the true result.
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said she had discussed with EU colleagues how to help the opposition ensure that Milosevic did not "steal" the elections.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Milosevic so far had rejected an offer from the 54-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to send observers.
POLLS BACKED IN KOSOVO
The Contact Group gave cautious backing to U.N.-organized municipal elections in Kosovo, which Russia had called premature because of attacks on the ethnic Serb minority.
They condemned ethnically motivated violence especially against Serbs and called on Kosovo Albanian politicians to promote tolerance and respect for all communities.
Properly prepared and democratic local polls "will be a major step toward democratization pursuant to (UN) resolution 1244", the ministers said.
That resolution set up a temporary UN administration in the province after NATO bombing forced Serbian troops to withdraw, ending a crackdown on the ethnic Albanian majority.
Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, who chaired the session, said it was "of outstanding importance to coordinate our position in view of the municipal elections in Kosovo and of course the elections in Serbia."
A report given to European Union ministers this week showed half a dozen opinion polls conducted since late August put Kostunica, the main opposition candidate, well ahead of Milosevic, who has been indicted by a UN tribunal for alleged crimes against humanity in Kosovo.
But a U.S. official said Russian diplomats claimed to have different surveys showing the Yugoslav strongman doing better.
"Our polling data is showing Milosevic losing about two to one, and theirs is showing he's doing OK. We're saying the only way he could win is if he steals the election," the U.S. official said.
The Contact Group last met at ministerial level in February 1999 during unsuccessful Rambouillet peace talks on Kosovo.