YUGOSLAV EVENTS CHRONOLOGY Sept.-Dec. 1998 Sept. 1 - Kos. Info. Ctr. (KIC) says Serb special police launch attack against several Prizren suburbs w/ police demanding residents surrender their weapons or face attack; UNHCR turns down Yugo. govt. request to restore houses damaged in Kos., comments that destruction of homes must stop before reconstruction can begin; Milo. thanks fed. army, Serbian special police for courage and patriotic sense of duty in crippling and bringing to a halt the activities of terrorist bandit groups; later meets w/ Amb. Christopher Hill and calls for urgent talks between Serbs and Kosovar delegations; OSCE removes names of 2 candidates for RS parl. (both members of Serbian Dem. Party) for displaying pictures of Kara. during rally; Westendorp fires Mark Benkovic as mayor of Orasje for preventing the return of non-Croatian refs. to that town, tells head of HDZ Ante Jelavic to select a new mayor within 2 weeks; US Special Envoy Robert Gelbard tells Jelavic to stop involving uniformed soldiers and officers at elec. rallies, calls this fundamental violation of all laws; Fed. parl. passes customs regulations which are to come into effect throughout country in Jan. '99 Sept. 2 - Hill meets w/ Rugova, later announces that Serbs and Kosovar sides agreed in general to Aa certain degree of self- administration for provisional period of 3-5 years after which they would review Kosovos status, but no details of arrangement made; Clinton says that he and Yeltsin agreed in their summit that Serbs must end repressive measures in Kos. and that they called for relief agencies to have greater access and to pursue an interim settlement on Kos. status; Austrian Interior. Min. says 2,800 ethnic Albanian refs. from Kos. have requested asylum but that only 10% of these have been able to prove they were victims of repression to be allowed to stay; Mon. Pres. Djukanovic says that unless Bel. treats Mon. as Serbias equal Yugo. may split up and that this will be because of Milos autocratic rule; Intl. communitys chief rep. in Mostar, Sir Martin Garrod, calls on HDZ to support return of Croats to areas under Mus. control, calls on HDZ to distance itself from Croatian co-mayor of Mostar Ivan Prskalos comments that Croats should not return to former homes in Grabovica, Dreznica until Mus. troops leave these areas; OSCE says in Zag. that Croatian govt. has not done enough to facilitate return of Serbs especially in Knin, Obrovac, and Vukovar regions Sept. 3 - Fighting reported near Prizren area, Pristina-Peja highway, Gjakova-Klina road, KIC says attacks heaviest around Malisheva, Klina, Gjakova, and Rahovec, Serbs claim that 20 members of paramilitary police killed in fighting, Kosovar sources say it is 7; Serbs prevent journalists from investigating; Albright calls agreement between Milo., Rugova a Agood procedural step forward but there is a long way to go; Albania claims total of 41 violations committed by Yugo. forces along border since March; Croat member of joint Bos. presidency, Kresimir Zubak says intl. community has not done enough to create level playing field for non-nationalist candidates Sept. 5 - Demaci says he has no faith in accord between Milo., Rugova, that he doesnt believe Milo. who is Aconstantly lying; OSCE Electoral Appeals Commission disqualified 15 candidates of Croatian nationalist party (HDZ BiH) from upcoming elections for having received unfair and blatant support from Croatian TV Sept. 6 - Serb police claim to have detained 450 suspected members of UCK w/ 250 captured near Klina, another 200 in Orahovac area (c. Kos.); John Shattuck and former US Senator Bob Dole say they have seen evidence of Ahorrendous rights violations after tour of central Kos., that US wants forensic experts allowed in to investigate atrocities; Ger. FM Kinkel rejects claims by US amb. Hill that Europe is indifferent to solving Kos. crisis, calls Hills comments Acynical and condescending, but calls for EU appt. its own envoy like the US has done; EU foreign ministers meeting bans JAT flights to EU after Greece drops its objections; Tudj. protests OSCE previous day ban of HDZ BiH candidates calling it detrimental to dem. and peace processes Sept. 7 - Shattuck and former US Senator Bob Dole meet w/ Milo., he turns down their request for US access to Kos., that Aterrorism in Kos. will be suppressed and eliminated, but says he will consider intl. inquiry into atrocities there; both US reps. say they are shocked by level of destruction, human rts. abuses; Serb security forces release most of 500 ethnic Albanians taken captive in latest offensive to ward off further criticism, Milo. promises Red Cross access to them; Solana comments that agreement between Milo., Rugova a Agood chance to start negotiations; Albanian govt. to move several thousand Kosovar refs. south out of poor Tropoje region; OSCE asks Serbian Radical Party leaders to prohibit Seselj from participating in election rallies in Bos. due to his comments on unification of Serbian lands in viol. of Dayton accords; posters of Kara. appear in Pale despite prohibition against this; Plavsic says Krajisnik committed numerous crimes and she compares him to Hitler, Dodik says at rally that voters should support Sloga (Accord) coalition since it is respected internationally; also comments that 1.3 mil. German marks slated for improvement of water system in Brcko and that 200 plots of land to be made available to Serbs who want to stay in Brcko; US Amb. to Croatia William Dale Montgomery meets w/ Tudj. after State Dept. criticizes HDZ involvement in Bos. elec., sides agree to Aavoid unwise decisions that could lead to the deterioration of the situation in Bos. and harm the elections there Sept. 8 - Serbian security forces release many of nearly 450 ethnic Albanian men suspected as being members of UCK, many say they were beaten, tortured; Kofi Annan alarmed over lack of progress on Kos., sends letter to Milo. criticizing excessive use of force by Serbs in Kos. but also ethnic Albanian separatists for acts of provocation; Rus. For. Min. again comes out against for. intervention in Kos. since it would make humanitarian situation worse, delivers this message to Milo. who praises Rus. for its role in coming up w/ solution, says govt. Aguarantees safety for all refs. and displaced persons returning to their homes; Milo. reported to ordered plan for holding elec. in Kos., but Demaci says draft of accord has no guarantees that Milo. will stick to it; Krajisnik accuses Plavsic-Dodik of preventing RS from uniting w/ Serbia, says goal of Plavsic is to weaken our emotional affiliation to Yugo.; Shattuck meets w/ Djukanovic in Podgorica, says Wash. supports democratization in Mon., discusses refs. from Kos.; NATO commander Gen. Wesley Clark in Slovenia for talks on NATO expansion, Kos. crisis, Pres. Kucan says NATO membership is Astrategic aim for Slovenia Sept. 9 - Serb shelling of at least 5 villages s. of Pec forces estimated 25,000 to flee; Ger. pledges $4.3 mil. to Mon. to help w/ Kos. ref. problem Sept. 10 - UN Sec. Council repeats Annans position that Milo. is responsible for indiscriminate violence against Albanians, destruction of villages, and flow refs.; Opp. leader Zoran Djindjic says Kos. crisis is reslt of inefficiency of the undemocratic auth. in Serbia; Yugo. Prosecutor-General Vukasin Jokanovic says several hundred suspected UCK members to go on trial in Sept. while Serbian Justice Min. Dragoljub Jankovic says 716 ethnic Albanians are under investigation in Kos., to face charges of conspiracy against state, terrorism; Yugo. FM Zivadin Jovanovic says Serb forces control all of Kos., Belgrade willing to hold talks w/ ethnic Albanians to resolve crisis, says UCK has withdrawn to small portion of Kos. and has no leadership, and that 60,000 refs. have returned to their homes and that schools are open; UCK says Rugova-US support for cf agreement undermines UCK fight; Croatia signs agreement to allow BH free transit to Croatian port of Ploce (agreement must still be approved by Croatian parl.) Sept. 11 - Serb troops, police break up ref. camp of 40,000 near Decan; Croatian Int. Min. Ivan Penic suspends Sibeniks chief of police, 2 deputies after beating of Italian tourist by 7 policemen who have all been arrested Sept. 12 - NATO begins 26-nation troop exercise in Mac., Gen. Wesley Clark says it is to demonstrate NATOs capabilities but has nothing to do with the crisis in Kos.; Voting begins in Bos.-Her. Sept. 13 - Mon. deports to Albania 3,200 Kosovars who had arrived in Plav area 2 days earlier; KIC reports Serbs shell village of Sferka (near Klina), set fire to Kosovar homes; Hans van der Broek, EU chief official on Eastern Europe sends letter to EU for. mins. saying continued inaction over Kos. not Acompatible w/ vital EU interests and time has come to make clear ultimatum to Milo., as well as distancing EU from intl. Contact Group Voting ends in BH with few problems but Bos. Serb auth. detain Sara.- based TV crew for filming Plavsics office without permission; Westendorp calls it Aa great day for democracy Sept. 14 - UNHCR calls on Mon. to keep its border open in case more refs. flee Kos., that 3,000 more are waiting on border; OSCE warns Croatia that it has not met its intl. commitments at winning confidence of Serb minority, encouraging them to return home and that Croatia must take urgent measures to encourage pluralism in media, refom of electoral laws if Croatia wants integration w/ EU Sept. 15 - Hun. joins EU in banning Yugoslav flights; Several hundreds refs. in village of Qirez (w. of Pristina) after Serb assaults in Drenica area, total in town now over 10,000-15,000; Demaci says UCK reorganizing itself despite Serb pressures; Chirac calls Yeltsin, tells him he wants Contact Group meeting; Ger. DM Ruehe says no one has a right to shoot at their own civilian pop. w/ tanks and artillery and West will becoming increasingly ready to do something about it; US House of Reps. passes non-binding res. Calling for Hague to take action against Milo. on charges of Awar crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide (Senate took similar action on July 18); UN intl. police force calls for resignation of RSs head of special police forces Ljubisa Savic (Mauser) due to recent maltreatment of suspects in murder of police official; OSCE not to release vote results until next week Sept. 16 - Hard-liner Nikola Poplasen holds 40,000 vote lead over Plavsic; Bos. Serb Radical Party, Serbian Radical Party release joint statement calling for OSCE to issue preliminary results of elections; Serb forces shell 12 ethnic Albanian villages nw of Pristina, first time attacks in this area, more attacks in Drenica; US amb. Hill briefs NATO ambs. in Brussels on Kos., says mil. attacks complicating efforts at pol. accord; UCK condemns Hills efforts to secure interim accord calling it national treason; UK reverses position, bans Yugoslav flights due to deteriorating humanitarian situation; OSCE mission in Croatia praises country for positive momentum in pol. devel., cooperation w/ intl. community, welcomes flow of Serb refs. back to Croatia but say this could be better as well as reform of state-run TV, electoral legislation favoring HDZ; Sept. 17 - Rugova rejects US-backed plan for ending crisis (3 year period as terr. w/ sovereign parl., exec., local police force, and judicial system); Serb forces w/ tanks continue attacking ethnic Albanian villages in NE Kos. (Kosovska, Mitrovica, Vucitrn, Podujevo), 10,000 have fled homes in area; Hard-liner Nikola Poplasen of Serbian Radical Party, and former ally of Kara., declares he has won presidency in RS Sept. 18 - Rus. objects to French-British plan on banning all JAT flights; Serbian Min. W/out Portfolio Zoran Andjelkovic says ethnic Albanians have all returned to their homes and none are without shelter Sept. 20 - UN special envoy for human rts., Jiri Dienstbier calls on Yugo. officials to immediately end violence in Kos.; new attacks in central part of province; Kosovar officials release their counterproposal to US-backed draft agreement (Kos. to remain part of Yugo.), calls on people of province to hold referendum if sides cant come to agreement Sept. 21 - Ahmet Bizhga, top mil. official in Armed Forces of the Rep. of Kos. (loyal to PM Bujar Bukoshi), killed by gunmen outside his home in Tirana; Milo. says that humanitarian catastrophe that we have been hearing about is not based on reality, says Serb officials providing tens of thousands of refs. w/ food and shelter; Adem Demaci withdraws from politics for health reasons; Plavsic concedes elec. to hard-liner Nikola Poplasen (member of Serbian Radical Party, ally of Kara.); 3 Croats accused of atrocities against Serbs in Pakracka Poljana region (SE of Zag.) in '91 decline to enter plea in trial in Zag. Sept. 22 - Ger. FM Kinkel says before UN that intl. community ready to use force against Yugo. to end mil. offensive in Kos., Rus. amb. to UN Sergei Lavrov says Mos. will accept UN res. that does not authorize immediate use of force; Serbs carry out new attacks in central, NW part of Kos.; Pres. of Kos. shadow parl. calls on UCK to release ethnic Albanian politicians it is holding; Gelbard says West to watch Poplasen, while Westendorp says that Bos. Serb officials that do not follow Dayton to be cut off from western financial help; Mac. intelligence chief, Vlado Popovski says UCK has infrastructure in Mac. but does not think they will be active since country's situation better than either Kos. or Alb. Sept. 23 - UN Sec. Coun. demands pol. dialogue, cf, warns that without them of Afurther action and additional measures (China abstains from vote); also calls mil. action in Kos. excessive and indiscriminate and calls on Kosovar leadership to condemn terrorist action; Yugo. FM Zivadin Jovanovic calls this groundless, counterproductive and says crisis cannot be solved w/ force, accuses Albania of training, supporting terrorists in Kos.; Fighting continues in Drenica region, nw part of Kos.; Ethnic Albanian politicians held since Sept. 19 released by UCK, supposedly held for not announcing to UCK their visit; Intl. war crimes investigators supported by 30 armored vehicles, hundreds of NATO pks look for evidence near Mostar, Vitez Sept. 24 - Solana says NATO ambs. meeting in Portugal have issued activation warning including limited air option, phased air campaign if fighting continues, US promises NATO troops, Ger. and Hol. commit specific numbers of planes prior to meeting; Rus. says it is opposed to air strikes; UN says 15,000 civilians have fled latest fighting in Drenica area; Solana says NATO will not abandon Bos., pks will continue to play role in maintaining peace; Plavsic, Dodik, and Zivko Radisic sign accord to continue dem., eco. reforms; Mac. police arrest UCK member suspected of carrying out bombings in several Mac. towns between Dec. '97 and July '98 Sept. 25 - Rugova aide, Sabri Hamiti, wounded by attacker in Pristina; OSCE finally releases elec. results delaring Serb hardliner Poplasen victor, but moderate Zivko Radisic wins out over Krajisnik for Serb seat on joint Bos. presidency; moderate Croat Zubak loses to hard- liner Ante Jelavic; Izet. overwhelmingly reelected; Sept. 26 - UNHCR head Sadako Ogata visits thousands of refs. in Resnik (n. Kos.), calls it Astage-managed catastrophe, Yugo. official calls them Aalleged refugees after refs. leave area under pressure from Serbs after Ogata visit; New Serb offensive sw of Pristina directed at regrouped units of UCK, 11 villages under attack by forces w/ tanks Sept. 27 - NATO forces arrest former Bos. Serb police chief and indicted war criminal Stevan Todorovic in n. town of Bosanski Samac Sept. 28 - Serb PM Mirko Marjanovic tells parl. that armed terrorist groups have been defeated, sec. forces withdrawing to barracks and that peace reigns in the province...there is no humanitarian catastrophe; also says that all rebels who turn in weapons within 10 days to be granted amnesty; Marjanovic appoints Zoran Andjelkovic to head new provisional Supreme Council to govern Kosovo, calls on ethnic Albanian authorities to start a dialogue; Serbs shelling and setting fire to villages sw of Pristina including Recane, Suva Reka, Stimlje, Urosevac (Serbs claim to be mopping up Aterrorists but more likely in response to UCK kidnapping of 2 Serbs), villagers say UCK already long-gone; Serbs demand villagers in Studencane hand over guns or they will be subject to same attacks; US Def. Sec. Cohen in BH again warns that Milo. has short time to end fighting or Afailure to do...will be met w/ very strong NATO action in my judgment; western monitors say more than 2 dozen villages destroyed in last week; EU now estimates over 200 villages moderately or seriously damaged since July; Dutch ind. commission finds that charges against role of Dutchbat in Sreb. are unfounded Sept. 29 - US Amb. Hill calls reports of massacres in Orbinje disturbing and that Athere have been a number of these reports which points to need to get intl. forensic experts in Kosovo; UCK calls on intl. community to act quicker to end crackdown before conflict spreads throughout region; Sept. 30 - Serbs deny that massacre of 18 civilians took place in Obrinje, call it all a foreign media farce, US Amb. Hill calls reports of massacre disturbing; Ger. announces it will contribute 14 aircraft, 500 mil. personnel for NATO intervention in Kos.; NATO continues to be undecided about possible impacts of attacks on Serbia; Seselj says Americans have found their fifth column here. It is composed of politically irrelevant parties and ind. media, threatens to grab those agents who are at hand if airstrikes occur; Spokesman for Plavsics Serbian Peoples Alliance calls for members of all Serbian parties in leg., hard-liners say they welcome this; Intl. community rep. Sir Martin Garrods spokesman says Herzegovinian Croats have done nothing to bring Serb refs. back to homes in Rastane Oct. 1 - Reports circulate of Serb massacre of villagers in town of Vraniq on 27 Sept.; Bri. For. Sec. Cook says Britain is ready to act that the only language Pres. Milo. will listen to is the threat of force; UN Sec. Coun. condemns massacres in Kos. but does not assign blame or authorize NATO action; Rus. and China both say they want more info. before judging Serb actions; US State Dept. issues warnings to US citizens to leave Yugo., Albright says NATO now prepared to act; Yugo. Dep. PM Seselj says the West should be aware that their soldiers will be our targets no matter where they are, if we can get at them Oct. 2 - TANJUG issues invite to Kofi Annan to visit Bel. before ending trip to Kos.; Yugo. Amb. to UN Vladislav Jovanovic says Annan should not rely on stories of intl. humanitarian orgs. and that UCK might be responsible for killings; Mac. Pres. Gligorov meets in Skopje w/ Turkish Pres. Demirel, two agree that Kos. situation should be resolved with diplomacy and within Yugo. boundaries Newly-elected Serb member of joint Bos. presidency, Zivko Radisic, says his Socialist party totally ind. of Milos org., says that Hague a pol. court directed exclusively against the Serbian people; 1 Muslim killed, 3 wounded in grenade attack in Mostar as they attempt to return to their homes Oct. 3 - Yugo. Supreme Defense Council places air defense systems on heightened state of alert; Serb forces reported to have shelled villages in Gjakova region; Croatian police chief in Mostar, Valentin Coric, resigns position over previous days events Oct. 4 - Milo. meets w/ Supreme Defense Council to discuss NATO mil. intervention, issues statement that says Yugo. will defend itself if attacked; Rus. FM Igor Ivanov delivers note from Pres. Yeltsin to Milo. urging him to take immediate measures to end crisis or face NATO attacks, while For. Min. spokesman says Rus. opposes any attack which is not authorized by UN; Anti-terrorist unit to go to Mostar to investigate series of incidents against Muslims returning to their homes Oct. 5 - EU for. ministers meet to discuss further sanctions against Yugo.; Milo. tells Holbrooke, Hill that airstrikes against Serbia would be a criminal act, again says that crackdown ended a week ago and that US position is support for Albanian terrorists; Yugo. PM Bulatovic says govt. accepts Russian recommendation to send OSCE in to confirm status of conflict, calls on legislature to approve 4% sales tax increase to fund military; Djukanovic says on TV that Belgrade leadership primarily responsible for Kosovo conflict; UN Sec. Gen. Annan says he doesnt have sufficient people on the ground in Kos. to judge situation, says Sec. Council must decide issue for itself, but that Yugo. auth. have committed great majority of atrocities in region; Albanian FM Paskal Milo says Albania will offer all its facilities for NATO airstrikes; Westendorp writes Milo. to keep Seselj ouf of Bos. politics after the latter calls for all-Serb govt. without Mus. or Croat participation; Westendorp says Seseljs presence in RS would be an unfriendly act which might lead to taking direct action against the Serbian Radical Party Oct. 6 - Holbrooke meets w/ ethnic Albanian leaders, then w/ Milo. 3 times in 48 hours, doesnt secure agreement on ending conflict; UN Sec. Council issues non-binding resolution calling on Belgrades full and sustained compliance w/ complete withdrawal of Serb forces from province; Arkan says he will reactivate his paramilitary forces if NATO attacks; UCK says again armed struggle is only way to end Serb crackdown; Mon. parl. calls on NATO to rethink possibility of airstrikes, that this will just play into Milos hands; Seselj threatens ind. Radio B-92 that govt. will take tough measures if it rebroadcasts western programs that he considers to be espionage propaganda, Mon. Republican Secretariat for Info. Calls charges of this sort made by Serbian Info. Min. Aleksandar Vucic extremely crude; Ger. supplies Mac. army w/ 60 APCs formerly belonging to E. Ger. army.; Oct. 7 - Clinton says Milo. runs risk of air strikes against Serbia unless he fully meets UN Sec. Council demands; Milos office issues statement that threats against Serbia only making crisis worse; OSCEs Geremek says it will not send mission to Kosovo, that good will is not apparent on Yugo. govts. part; Serbian air force dispersing planes throughout country in anticipation of airstrikes; Serb. Dep. PM Milovan Bojic, Info. Min. Aleksandar Vucic ban rebroadcasting of information for conditions of immediate war, Assoc. of Ind. Electronic Media in Belgrade calls this Aunconstitutional illegal; Albanian govt. says Yugo. forces fires on Albanian border patrol on its own territory on previous day, no one hurt (near Kukes); Newly-elected Bos. joint presidency (Mus: Izet.; Serb: Zivko Radisic; Croat: Ante Jelavic) agrees to hold all of its sessions in Sara. instead of alternating them w/ Serb suburb of Lukavica; 500 protest in BL against possibility of NATO airstrikes Oct. 8 - Solana says airstrikes could be only days away, Clinton says NATO must be prepared to protect our interests and to prevent another humanitarian catastrophe, that strikes will send a clear signal and expand in their scale and scope, but denies possibility of troop deployments; Contact Group demands Milos full compliance w/ UN resolution to withdraw forces, both Albright and Bri. For. Sec. Cook say that Rus. will not have a veto on the use of NATO forces; Seselj warns other Balkan countries not to offer NATO assistance as they will also be considered our enemy; UCK says it will refrain from all mil. activity as of 9th; Serb police hold Enver Malloku, director of Kos. Info. Center (KIC) for 3 hours, threaten his family; Westendorp invalidates mandate of Dragan Cavic to RS assembly for making statements that attacks by NATO on Serbia would be attacks on Serbs everywhere, says this destabilizes Dayton process; Tudj. aide Hrvoje Sarinic resigns as chief-of-staff claiming that hard- liners lead by Herzegovinian Ivic Pasalic are waging campaign against moderates such as himself Oct. 9 - Holbrooke back in Belgrade for more talks w/ Milo.; OSCE critical of Serbian govt. decision to ban rebroadcasting of foreign programs; Mon. Pres. Djukanovic tells Gelbard in Podgorica that airstrikes should not used as they will kill innocent civilians; Mon. delegates boycott Yugo.-Croatian talks in Bel. as Yugo. auth. do not include on agenda opening of border crossing at Debeli Brijeg; Westendorp issues statement that Bos. officials of all ethnic groups should avoid inflammatory statements about possible NATO airstrikes and that these will not be tolerated by intl. community; IPTF Commissioner Richard Monk writes to Herzegovinian police official Valentin Coric insisting he fire police commissioner of Capljina Stanislav Buntic for recent violence by Croatian police against 3 Muslims who tried to prevent Croatians from attacking returning Mus. refs.; Forensic experts in Blumina (near Zvornik) uncover largest mass grave of Bos. war holding possibily as many as 300 Mus. civilians bodies buried in plastic bags w/ Yugo. army markings; Vatican signs agreement w/ Croatian govt. promising that govt. will return or provide compensation for Church properties taken by communists Oct. 10 - Serbian govt. tells ind. Radio Index to stop broadcasting immediately, station management says they will find a way to resume even if we have to use a mobile van; Albanian govt. says Yugo. troops came 50 meters into Albanian territory on Oct. 8 at Dobrun (near Kukes); Poplasen sends letter to Gelbard saying Bos. Serbs do not need to distance themselves from Seseljs remarks, that these are the matters of Yugo., US only, says he will call on Westendorp to allow mandate of Dragan Cavic to stand (Oct. 8) Oct. 11 - Bri. For. Sec. Cook says Milo. should have no doubt that NATO is united and ready to use force; Albania puts air space, territorial waters at NATO disposal through end of year for mil. operations against Serbia; Romania also agrees to allow NATO limited access to its air space for emergency and unforeseen situations, while VP of Serb Union of Romania, Glisic Gioca, says Serb community will blow up the airport [in Timisoara] if NATO planes allowed to land there Oct. 12 - Holbrooke in Bel., comments that negs. have been very difficult and heated and that no change has occurred; Clinton warns Milo. to abide by agreements and says that Balkan graveyards are filled w/ Pres. Milos broken promises; NATO ambs. meet in Brussels, decide on activation order for mil. action against Serbia to take effect on Oct. 17 to allow Milo. time to honor agreement reached w/ Holbrooke; Albania says Serbia continues to concentrate troops and mil. equipment along the border w/ Albania as threats of air strikes by NATO increase; Demaci calls on Kosovars to form govt. of national salvation as quickly as possible; Alb. For. Min. says 5 Yugo. mil. men open fire without provocation on Alb. border police patrol 50 meters inside Alb. territory Oct. 13 - Holbrooke says Milo. agrees to accept intrusive intl. Verification presence including 2,000 person Verification Mission run by OSCE, mission will supervise future elections in Kos., NATO aircraft to monitor compliance; US diplomats who had left Yugo. to return later this day; Milo. says on TV that agreement eliminates danger of NATO mil. intervention and says it is in the interests of Serbia and its citizens; Serbian govt. approves 11-pt. program for solving Kos. problem including calls for elections within 9 months, w/ self-rule primarily at local level, sets deadline of Nov. 2 for reaching agreement w/ Kosovars on basic elements of solution based on Contact Group proposal of Oct. 2; Serbian Info. Min. bans ind. Belgrade papers Danas, Dnevni telegraf for spreading fear, panic, and defeatism Yugo. embassy in Moscow says that Yugo. For. Ministry has named Borislav Milosevic, brother of the president, as new amb. to Russia; New Bos. Presidency sworn in w/ Serb Zivko Radisic as chair of rotating president for first 8 months Oct. 14 - UCK spokesman says Hol.-Milo. agreement not acceptable since it lets Serbs determine timetable, rules for future elections and that the group of people (Rugovas team) w/ whom the Americans are negotiating are not legitimate for us. Serb police evict Dnevni telegraf editor Slavko Curuvija from his office; Louise Arbour, chief prosecutor of Hague WCT says Milo. has not jurisdiction over the ICT and that she will soon request large number of persons be granted visas to investigate atrocities in Kos.; Rus. Pres. Yeltsin tells his power ministers that Rus. must take a strong role in OSCEs Kos. Mission Tudj. makes Gen. Pavao Milijavac DM replacing Hebrang who quit in power struggle Oct. 15 - Solana says Serbs not complying w/ UN Res. 1199 to withdraw from Kos.; Serbian Info. Min. bans ind. Nasa Borba; OSCE Permanent Council says it is ready to establish Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) to verify compliance of all sides to intl. communitys demands for cf; Tudj. aide and moderate Franjo Greguric resigns as HDZ rep. to Mus. and Croatian Fed. of BH; UN formally ends mission to E. Slavonia, OSCE now to assume responsibility for intl. police presence Oct. 16 - Solana meets w/ Milo. in Belgrade, tells him NATO knows he is not in compliance and that airstrikes will be the result; also warns that any attacks with hostile intent against NATO verification aircraft will have the greatest consequence, then signs agreement allowing NATO overflight authority w/ Yugo. chief of staff Momcilo Perisic, Gen. Wesley Clark, and Gen. Klaus Naumann; OSCE chairman Bronislaw Geremek signs agreement in Belgrade providing for 2,000 members of intl. Verification Mission for Kosovo; NATO agrees to extend deadline for compliance by additional 10 days to 27 Oct.; Director of Miss Croatia pageant declares election of Lejla Sehovic invalid due to irregularities in voting, Sehovic says real reason is that she is Muslim Oct. 17 - UCK guerillas kill 3 Serb policemen in Komoran area; Vojvodina opposition coalition president Dragan Veselinov calls for same autonomy promised to Kosovo under Holbrooke-Milo. deal Oct. 18 - Parl. elec. in Mac. give opposition coalition of Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE) and Democratic Alternative lead w/ 19 of 120 seats in leg., governing Social Democrats (so far) get only 7; Hundreds of ethnic Albanians flee in Komoran area (w. of Pristina) as Yugo. army troops, 50 vehicles arrive from Pristina; Serbs fire on several villages Mitrovica area; Advance team of 20 OSCE monitors arrives in Pristina; Holbrooke says NATO ready to strike if Yugo. auth. do not uphold agreement he made w/ Milo. previous week; Zagrebacka Banka announces $170,000 reward for anyone who will say how Jutarnji List got info. on secret bank accounts of Ankica Tudjman Oct. 19 - Serb forces continue to redeploy in Kos. after weekend slaying of 3 Serb soldiers, contend that UCK has used opportunity to retake terr., attack police; TANJUG journalist Nebojsa Radosevic, photographer Vladimir Dobricic disappear on Pristina-Magura road, Belgrade calls this a blow to the implementation of the Milo.- Holbrooke agreement and the agreement on the OSCE verification mission; UNHCR halts 2 convoys of relief supplies headed for western part of province, sends investigators to town of Kisna Reda to check on reports that Serb army approaching refugee camp where 3,000 ethnic Albanians are staying; US concerned about fighting and says guerillas appeared to have fired first in some cases of fighting, calls all of it unacceptable; Bri. For. Sec. Cook warns UCK that its provocations will not lead to ANATO being conscripted as a sort of air force for the UCK; Clerk of Zagrebacka Banka, Ankica Lepej, admits she leaked info. on Tudjs wifes bank account to papers since such info. should not be kept private when attention is focused on private wealth of politicians Oct. 20 - Yugo. Chief of General Staff, Gen. Momcilo Perisic says in interview that politicians and not the army are responsible for conflict in Kos., that politicians dont want to admit that they dont have solutions to problems; also that Serbs have been fighting a war since 1991 and we still have no allies...one doesnt make war against the entire world; US Gen. Wesley Clark, Sup. Commander in Europe for NATO, visits Milo., tells him Yugo. must speed up troop withdrawal or face air strikes; OSCE names former US diplomat William Walker to head verification mission in Kosovo; Demaci says he has no info. on fate of 2 Serb journalists, but there is hope that they may still be alive if held by UCK; US amb. to Mac., Christopher Hill, visits Podgorica, speaks w/ Bulatovic on Kos., spokesmen for Mon. govt. later say fed. institutions implementing latest agreement Ado not rep. the pol. interests of the citizens of Mon. Oct. 21 - Holbrooke says Serb forces not in compliance w/ UN resolution and if not changed in next 6 days it could only lead to the most dramatic consequences; Serb forces fire artillery in Mt. Berisha area (w. of Pristina) and that also had shelled 14 ethnic Albanian villages in Drenica, Malisheva, Trapeza areas, Yugo. army denies it has carried out any offensive action in recent days; Members of Kos. shadow-govt. neg. team say that interim pol. settlement outlined between Holbrooke, Milo. far short of minimum Kosovars are willing to accept, that Hills version is not acceptable even as basis for further talks; Mac. PM Crvenkovski offers use of airport facilities for unspecified number of NATO aircraft to be deployed for surveillance over Kos., plan to include 20 intelligence-gathering aircraft; 100 journalists march through Bel. to demand release of TANJUG journalists Nebojsa Radosevic and Vladimir Dobricic who are thought to have been taken prisoner by UCK; Serbian parl. overwhelmingly passes law restricting freedom of media, calls it necessary to preserve Serbias sovereignty in face of foreign pressures, efforts by foreigners and their local servants to spread defeatism Croatian Peoples Party calls on Tudj. to resign over scandal of his wifes bank account; Final elec. returns in Mac. show Internal Mac. Revolutionary Organization (VMRO-DPMNE) and Democratic Alternative (DA) win 15 of 35 seats in leg. from Oct. 18 elec.; Social Democrats win 10 seats, 2 largest ethnic Albanian parties win 8 Oct. 22 - Intl. monitors investigate reports of shellings, armed clashes, send info. to NATO hq in Brussels; Serb forces reported to be largely staying in Kos. despite agreement on withdrawal, USs Chris Hill says Wash. not satisfied with the level of compliance while Bel. contends that it has done so although Serb forces are still Asecuring settlements that have been bastions of Albanian terrorists; UCK says it is holding 2 Serb journalists and treating them Acorrectly but also investigating whether they had any part in recent atrocities, will hand them over to Red Cross if they are innocent; Mon. Pres. Djukanovic says Mon.s best interests are staying in Yugo. fed. but that Yugo. must break w/ policies of Milo.; Mass grave unearthed in Sanski Most area (nw Bos.) w/ at least 70 bodies of Bos. Serb soldiers, civilians killed in '95 govt. offensive; Robert Horvat, bank clerk who had confirmed story of Ankica Tudjmans hidden bank accounts, loses job after police interrogate him Oct. 23 - Mac. DM Lazar Kitanovski says NATO wants airfield for aerial surveillance over Kos.; Gelbard says Croatia must scale down its military and become more transparent; Croatian parl. passes law on salaries for state officials giving Tudj. $5,700 per month (avg. monthly wage is $450); Tudjs wife says $130,000 she deposited in Zagrebacka Banka were royalties from his books Oct. 24 - UN Sec. Coun. passes res. 1203 endorsing OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission and allowing NATO to take action to protect, evacuate intl. monitors in Kos., but delete provisions which give it auth. to carry out actions in line w/ Res. 1199; Serbian govt. imposes fine of $230,000 on weekly Evropljanin which has same editor (Slavko Curuvija) as Dnevnin Telegraf Oct. 25 - US Sec. of State, Nat. Sec. Advisor both say that Serbia not complying w/ UN res. 1199; Serb officials raid offices of Bel. paper Dnevni Telegraf; Organizers of Miss Croatia pageant declare Lejla Sehovics (a Muslim) election invalid, replace her w/ Ivana Petkovic, ethnic Croat Oct. 26 - NATO Gens. Wesley Clark, Klaus Naumann continue talks w/ Milo.; OSCE says both sides building up forces; EU agrees on $100 mil. to pay for part of OSCE monitoring mission out of total $150 mil.; Demaci says UCK to continue fighting until ind. achieved Oct. 27 - Yugo. army and Serb police forces begin to rapidly pull back in Kosovo to avoid NATO deadline, UCK guerillas reappearing in areas; EU estimates there are 50,000 idps living in camps, 10,000 more hiding in hills; NATO suspends bombing threat; US Sec. of State Albright says 400 NATO aircraft to remain on indefinite alert if NATO thinks Milo. is sending forces back into region Oct. 28 - Kosovars reported to be returning to their homes; both EU and US warn UCK not to occupy positions abandoned by Serbs; Holbrooke states that OSCE will be free to carry out its mission, unarmed aircraft will fly where and when we want; Mus., Serb, and Croat civilian, mil. leaders unanimous in rejecting NATO demand that all generals be approved by SFOR being appointments, say this violates the constitution; Croatian FM Granic says that new agreement between his country, Mus-Croat Fed. will allow Zag. to provide funds for Croats in a legal and transparent manner; also says he regrets dispute over Miss Croatia pageant and that govt. played no role but instead it was the organizers fault Oct. 29 - Bos. Serb Goran Jelisic (the ASerbian Adolf) admits before Hague his guilt in killing 12 Muslims, Croats during 2-week period in '92; Serbian Orthodox Bishop Artemije, ethnic Serbian political leader Momcilo Trajkovic issue statement accusing Milo. of surrendering sovereignty over Kos.; Yugo. Gen. Ratomir Ristic says army will accept Bos., Croatian Serb refs. as recruits, take legal action against men who do not respond to induction notices Oct. 30 - US Nat. Sec. Advisor Sandy Berger says US would hold Milo. personally responsible if there are any attacks by Serbian forces on intl. monitors in Kosovo, and says NATO putting together rapid reaction force to be stationed in region to protect monitors; also comments that US to continue to support Athe democratic forces in Serbia and democratization of Serbia is vital to long-term stability in Balkans; Opening session of RS parl. breaks up after failing to agree on speaker and dep. speakers Oct. 31 - Rugova says Kosovars have not agreed to any settlement Nov. 1 - Solana says in interview that Milo. should not forget that airstrikes can be launched within 48 hours if he does not meet obligations, says intl. community will not allow any more Bosnias; UCK says a guerilla military court has sentenced 2 TANJUG journalists to 60 days imprisonment for violation and disregard of rules on civilian and military org.; Albanian customs seize ammo., sniper rifles, communications equip. from Croatian ship in Durres Montenegros Djukanovic says republics integrity is threatened by Serbian hegemonism; border crossing at Debeli Brijeg between Croatia and Mon. opened for All Saints holiday Nov. 2 - Nada Sakic extradited from Argentina to Croatia; French Maj. Pierre Bunel arrested at NATO hq on suspicion of providing info. to Serbs on possible NATO bombing targets, admits to charges but says he did it out of sympathy for Serb cause; US Amb. Hill discusses Kos. w/ Serbian Pres. Milan Milutinovic; Mon. Dep. Parl Speaker Rifat Rastoder calls on Gen. Perisic to stop legal measures against Montenegrins ignoring their draft notices; World Bank rep. to Bos. says intl. aid donors unlikely to give additional money if smuggling and corruption remain strong; SFOR pks complete work on restoring grounds of Sara. zoo, clearing mines Macedonias ruling Social Democrats concede 2nd round parl elec. defeat; talks begin on formation of new govt. between Internal Mac. Revolutionary Org. (VMRO-DPMNE) and Democratic Alternative; VMRO-DPMNE head Ljubco Georgievski pledges to end corruption, promote foreign investment and encourage private enterprise, and to include ethnic Albanians in cabinet Nov. 3 - US Amb. Hill in Pristina for talks w/ Rugova, together they visit rural areas which is Rugovas first visit to these areas since '89 due to fears of being detained; Demaci says UCK wont become a police force as reported by Albanian TV, that UCK must consent to pol. settlement, and that refs. wont return to homes unless size of Serb force cut from 25,000 to 8,500; US says it will withdraw 6 B-52s from bases in England to return home, move opposed by ethnic Albanians; Study by Westerndorp uncovers massive fraud in reconstruction, allocation, privatization of state-owned real estate in Muslim-controlled areas; Pentagon reports 2 members of US helicopter crew sustain minor eye injuries from use of small laser in flight over Zenica area on 24 Oct.; Mac. Electoral Commission says VMRO-DPMNE/DA coalition wins 58 of 120 seats, Social Dems. get 29, 2 ethnic Albanian parties hold 24, Liberal Democrats, 4, Socialists, 2, Alliance of Roma, 1; DA suggests its Vasil Tupurkovski may become new PM Nov. 4 - Shadow govt. calls Hill plan unacceptable, counters w/ plan for neutral Implementation Commission of 2 reps. from shadow state, 2 from Belgrade, 3 chosen by UN Sec. Gen. in coop. w/ EU presidency; International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugo. (ICT) chief prosecutor Louise Arbour says she and staff have clear mandate to investigate possible war crimes, atrocities; Serbian authorities in Uzice stop truck from Podgorica carrying copies of ind. paper Danas and confiscate them; Poplasen takes over as president of RS, promises to defend Serb interests in Brcko, promote closer ties w/ Bel.; moderates and non-Serb deps. re-elect Petar Djokic speaker of parl. defeating hard-liners Nov. 5 - Fre. DM Alain Richard says his country wants to command and provide the bulk of all-European Rapid Reaction Force to protect unarmed monitors, force to have 1,500 troops, 750 provided by France; ICT says Yugo. has not provided visas for Arbour visit; President Gabrielle Kirk McDonald calls Yugo. a Arogue state; Hill claims that there has been serious progress in coming up w/ political solution, but later leaves Bel. after meeting w/ Milo. is canceled; Milutinovic says Serbias goal in Kos. is to promote development and end the spiral of violence, xenophobia, as well as chauvinistic, religious, and historical prejudice Nov. 9 - UCK rep. confirms that US Amb. Hill met in Pristina w/ guerillas and that reps. also met in Geneva; Serb police show journalists bodies of 2 journalists killed by UCK; Kos. KIC news agency reports that Serb police shell 3 ethnic Albanian villages previous night; EU Council of Ministers says Yugo. must Acompletely and fully implement UN Res. 1199, and grant full freedom of movement to OSCE monitoring mission, that Croatia, Bos., Yugo., Mac., Alb. have not made sufficient progress toward demo. for EU to upgrade rels. w/ them Nov. 10 - Serb police in Kos. take into custody Muslim community leader Sheh Sali Mujaj near Prizren Nov. 11 - UCK calls for intl. community to handle Kos. crisis w/ same energy it has used in Iraq; OSCE KVM head William Walker arrives in Pristina; OSCE report calls on incoming Mac. govt. to improve ethnic relations, says this Amight even strengthen the state...as it will help minorities to identify w/ the state, encourages increased number of ethnic Albanians in govt. positions, police; Croatian For. Min. says it cant deal w/ Podgorica on Prevlaka peninsula issue, but instead must work w/ Bel. authorities Nov. 12 - OSCE verifiers say Serbs prevent them from entering Prizren area to search for Mus. leader Mujaj, Serbs say they are conducting searches for weapons; Yugo. govt. says it will not allow continuing transfer of dinars to RS until its govt. lowers official exchange rate from 7.5 dinars to 6 dinars to the German mark (official Yugo. exchange rate); Westendorps office says Bos. Serb govt. violating Dayton by making it difficult for Bos. Court for Human Rights to find office space in BL; explosion in Croatian-controlled Stolac wounds Mus., damages his house (there have been 70 such incidents in '98 in Stolac area w/ no arrests made); Leaders of 6 main opposition parties in Croatian parl. resign their committee functions (keep their parl. seats) due to Amarginalization by HDZ; Thousands of teachers stage 1-day strike across country demanding better pay and spending on educ. (average pay is $360 per month, $40 less than nat. average) Nov. 13 - 2 Serb civilians exchanged for 7 ethnic Albanians (last of nearly 100 seized by Serb forces on Nov. 11-12) at Leposaviq (near Montenegrin border); UNHCR says Serb forces surround town near Prizren, threaten 2,400 residents w/ burning it if they do not surrender weapons, also that nearly 60% of all villages involved in recent fighting have been destroyed or partly destroyed Nov. 29 - Bos. Serb officials contend remains of 55 exhumed from 2 Sara. cemetaries those of Serb civilians killed by Muslims between '92-'95, but Bos. govt. officials say they may have been killed by units of former Bos. warlord Musan Topalovic ('Caco) Nov. 15 - Yugo. army vehicle fires machine-gun over car w/ 3 US diplomatic observers in it, OSCE says this is not in the spirit of the cf agreement, Yugo. army claims that the members of the US mission in the...car interpreted the exhaust pipe [backfiring] as shooting; UCK says in Koha Ditore that Kosovars are obliged to help fund the UCK as this helps the war, freedom, ind., and dem.; Serb Pres. Milutinovic calls of Kosovar side to join talks in presence of US, Austrian, Rus, and Chinese diplomats, Agani rejects offer as Kos. leadership says talks should include Montenegrins and only after all Yugo. forces have left Kos.; Yugo. Dep. FM Zoran Novakovic protests to Mac. over issue of whether NATO to have a base in that country, says that this would be contrary to the long-term interests of both countries; Seselj ordered to leave Bos. by Klein (dep. to Westendorp), Seselj says he will order A10,000 baseball bats so Serbs may resist NATO Nov. 16 - Solana warns that ANATO will not tolerate that the verifiers [in Kos.] be attacked or endangered; OSCE mission head Wm. Walker says after meeting w/ Milo. that he had a difference of opinion on the question of full compliance and that Awe do not want weapons pointed at our vehicles and our verifiers Hague sentences 2 Muslims and their Croatian commander to totol of 42 years in prison for crimes against Serbs at Celibici concentration camp in '92, 3rd Muslim acquitted; Reps. of Mus.- Croatian fed. fail to show up in Zag. to sign agreement on bilateral rels., Fed. Pres. Ejup Ganic says he told US Gen. Jacques Klein that he needed several days to discuss agreement w/ Bos. legislators before signing pact, Klein calls Muslims behavior irresponsible and a disservice to voters, US special envoy Richard Sklar says they must sign without any further changes in text; Croatian FM Granic says Mus. leaders failure to sign casts doubts on their credibility while Bos. FM Jadranko Prlic (a Croat) says its time for Zag. to review rels. w/ Bos. across the board Nov. 17 - Hill, in Kos., advises UCK to exercise restraint and reduce aggressive presence on the highways; UN Sec. Coun. passes res. calling upon all sides to coop. w/ Hague; Kosovar negotiator says that his side might accept republican status for test period of 3-5 years, but Demaci comments that ARugova can sign anything, but there can be no deal without UCK consent; NATO formally asks Mac. to station part of rapid reaction force there; US State Dept. comments that it wants moderate committed to Dayton to head Bos. Serb govt. Nov. 18 - Mac. govt. rejects w/ sharp protest Serb warning about NATO basing warning, saying this is interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state; Serb Pres. Milutinovic calls Hill proposal on political settlement unacceptable because it treats Kos. as separate entity and gives majority control to Kosovars, says Serb minority, others should have full political equality w/ ethnic Albanians; also says terrorist groups will be energetically neutralized if they continue attacks on army, police units; Demaci says UCK willing to accept transition period of A2 to 3 years instead of immediate ind. provided transition results in immediate Aguaranteed ref. on ind.; Bos. forensic experts discover 6 bodies buried in grave in Modrica (n. Bos.), say there are more in area, most likely Mus., Croats killed in '92 Nov. 19 - UN Sec. Coun. calls for early deployment of KVM; New Mac. parl. convenes, elects law professor Slavo Klimovski speaker; PM designate Georgievski says he wants West to help smooth rels. w/ Yugo. over issue of basing for possible attack; Mon. Inf. Min. Bozidar Jaredic says Serb seizure of copies of Monitor is blatant violation of rels. between the two republics; Yugo. auth. announce that RS PM Dodik has sais that BL to use same exchange rate between Yugo. dinar and Ger. mark giving Bos. Serb dinar lower exchange value; Croatian poll shows 2/3rds of Croats believe it is time for change, want new party to run govt., HDZ gets only 21% support, as do Social Democrats; nearly 3/4s want power transferred from pres. to parl. (poll sponsored by US Intl. Republican Institute) Nov. 20 - Bos. Croat leader Ante Jelavic says Croats demand unspecified changes in electoral law to increase their pol. weight as a group, also that Croats want their own national channel on RTVBiH, separate Croatian academy of sciences and arts, and opposes planned introduction of joint curriculum in Bos. schools as this is attempt to destroy the identity of the Croatian nation in Bos. and Her. Nov. 21 - Serb counter-plan published in APolitika calls for local, not provincial autonomy in Kos., each ethnic group having control over its own affairs, upper house of parl. to give each ethnic group equal number of deps., 'last word in provincial affairs to be that of Serbian legislature; Bel. court finds daily AGlas javnosti $38,000 for slandering Seselj; Mon. govt. says it doesnt recognize Athe illegal fed. govt. nor its illegitimate prime minister(Bulatovic), statement issued on 80th anniv. of founding of Yugo. state; RS govt. denies reports it has accepted Belgrade demand for changes in official exchange rate, that only decision it has reversed involves one raising price of electricity Nov. 22 - Tudj., Ganic sign delayed text on joint council on coop. in 14 areas, 2 additional documents dealing w/ Bos. use of Ploce port (30-yr. lease on a free zone), Croatian transit through Boss Neum region approved by Tudj., Izet. Fre. Amb. to Mac., Jacques Huntzinger, says NATO force of 2,000 in Mac. Ais not an imposing one...this force is not aimed at fighting Serbian soldiers or policemen; Fehmi Agani says shadow-govt. rejects Hill plan as it maintains Serbian domination; Local elections held in Slovenia Nov. 23 - Gligorov asks 32-year old Ljubco Georgievski to form new Mac. govt. who will try to bring Arben Xhaferis Democratic Party of the Albanians into govt.; Croatian Liberal Party leader Vlado Gotovac says that Croats should respond w/ civil disobedience when confronted w/ activities incompatible w/ morality at their work place (in response to Tudjs wifes scandal); Croatian For. Min. says Croatian reps. not to accept Slovenian invitation to observe NATO maneuvers there, says date not appropriate; Bri. FM Cook says Slovenia is entitled to its place in the front row of countries that are looking at the EU, and that Slovenia must be invited if NATO decides on 2nd round of expansion Nov. 24 - Milo. fires army chief-of-staff Gen. Momcilo Perisic, replaces him w/ Gen. Dragoljub Ojdanic in response to his frequent criticisms of including army in pol. issues such as Kos.; UCK frees Serb police officer near Podujeva after inteverntion of US diplomat Shaun Byrnes and Adem Demaci, fate of 2 ethnic Albanians captured w/ him is uncertain; Demaci says Hill plan Afar from what we really ant, but we are not rejecting it; Mon. PM Filip Vujanovic says Serbian govt. policies toward media promoting lack of democracy, Mon. courts will not carry out or be affected by Serbian courts, but says he doesnt think country is headed for dissolution and that Mon. opposes republican status for Kos.; Izet., Silajdzic, Edhem Bicakcic sign letter calling US envoy Richard Sklars accusation that all Bos. politicians are corrupt is a lie and that he should name names or get off our backs; Croatian Int. Min. Ivan Penic says there is no systematic tapping of journalists phones or the creation of files on them but that there is random use of taps on those thought to be part of security problem; Slovenian PM Janez Drnovseks Liberal Democrats gain 25% of votes in local elections (up from 17% in '94), Slovenian Peoples Party falls from 13% to 10% putting coalition between two in doubt; rightist Social Democrats (Janez Jansa) get 17%+ up from 14%; Christian Dems. (Lojze Peterle) fall from 18% to 10% Nov. 27 - UCK frees TANJUG journalists Nebojsa Radosevic, Vladimir Dorbicic (captured Oct. 18) in Walkers presence, both say they were well-treated; Gen. Perisic says he was fired illegally and without consultation, govt. spokesman calls it part of Aroutine rotation of top officers; Advisor to Mon. Pres. Djukanovic, Miodrag Vukovic, says govt. wants OSCE monitors; Mac. PM-designate Georgievski says cabinet to consist of 27 posts, 14 from his Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Org., 8 from Democratic Alternative (including FM post), and 5 from Arben Xhaferis Democratic Party of the Albanians; Nov. 28 - UCK holds swearing-in ceremony for 300 fighters, memorial service for teacher killed by Serbs 1 year ago; Mon. State Prosecutor Bozidar Vukcevic says Mon. recognizes Hagues legality and legitimacy and will cooperate with it Nov. 29 - OSCE mission head Walker says Bel. auth. interpret OSCE mission in narrowest way while OSCE sees it in widest fashion; Serbian Dep. PM Milovan Bojic condemns Hill plan as an indirect way to full secession for Kos.; Demaci now says UCK willing to temporarily drop its calls for immediate ind., instead will accept 3-year transitional period, but must be guaranteed right to referendum at end of period Nov. 30 - US Amb. William Walker, head of OSCE verification mission, says he expects all 2,000 unarmed verifiers (from 54 countries) to arrive by Jan. 1, that pol. settlement must be in place before verifiers can organize elections; Croatian police in Sibenik uncover arms cache worth $1 million near harbor originally from Bos. and destined for Kos.; RS PM-designate (and hard-liner) Dragan Kalinic says he hasnt been able to put together govt. yet Nov. 30 - US State Dep. says that Milo. the root of the problem in former Yugo. and cannot be a source for stability, calls for democratization of Serbia, and applauds Mon. efforts in this US Amb. William Walker, head of OSCE verification mission, says he expects all 2,000 unarmed Averifiers (from 54 countries) to arrive by Jan. 1, that pol. settlement must be in place before verifiers can organize elections; Croatian police in Sibenik uncover arms cache worth $1 million near harbor originally from Bos. and destined for Kos.; RS PM-designate (and hard-liner) Dragan Kalinic says he hasnt been able to put together govt. yet Dec. 1 - US observers to provide armored escorts for Serb police patrols through terr. on way to bases in Malisheva to prevent UCK attacks; US State Dept. again comments on Milo., says it will not Alose any sleep if [he] passes from the scene; Bel. sends protest to OSCE criticizing it for legalizing the terrorists; New coins for Bos. arrive from minting in Britain; RS govt. revokes devaluation of dinar; Democratic Initiative of Sara. Serbs says Serbs being subjected to Aquiet, subtle, and very effective discrimination in schools of Croat-Mus. Fed. Dec. 2 - U.S. NATO troops arrest Radislav Krstic, senior Bosnian Serb army commander near Bijeljina under sealed indictment issued on Oct. 30 on genocide charges related to his directing Srebrenica assault as head of Drina Corps; Krstic member of Joint Military Commission, SFOR-chaired body of 3 sides militaries (9th indictee arrested by SFOR, 4th under sealed indictment; 25 have now faced WCT); Solana says arrest carried out in line w/ SFORs mandate of detaining indicted war criminals encountered during course of their duties; Poplasen says arrest embitters Serbs, that RS to reduce its contacts to SFOR to the minimum; RS parl. passes law confirming rights of former residents to their homes, gives govt. 30 days to respond to demands by Mus., Croats for return of apts., houses (Poplasens party votes against; Karas Serbian Dem. Party supports it as it prevents worse solution imposed by Westerndorps office); Mac. PM Georgievski says govt. has made decision to allow NATO RRF base at Kumanovo (near Kos. border) and hopes this will contribute to speedier entry of Mac. into NATO; Croatian opposition refuse to meet w/ Tudj. in his capacity of leader of HDZ Dec. 3 - The Guardian reports that US taking aggressive stand on war- criminals, placed $5 million bounty on Kara., Mladic, Krajina Serb leader Milan Martic; Milo. reported to have accepted rapid reaction force and its activities; Hill gives Serb Pres. Milutinovic copy of new draft of peace plan, Seselj responds by saying Americans are brutally violating all norms of intl. public law. In a criminal way they are destroying entire peoples and states while fed. parl. issues statement in full support of Milo. and rejecting all threats and interference; Walker states that 203 monitors to come from Italy, 187 from Ger., 158 from UK, 143 from US, and 121 from Rus.; Yugo. forces kill 8 trying to illegally cross border between Kos. and Alb., KIC reports that guerilla leader, journalist, and student leader all killed by security forces in central Pristina, police refuse info. on incident; ethnic Albanian killed along Pristina-Peja road, Serb wounded nearby later in day; UNHCR says there is consistent pattern of abuse, torture towards Kosovars in Serbian prisons; Westendorp says in Sar. that '99 goals are to make peace self-sustaining and to prepare the country (BH) to live without for. aid; also sends message to hard-liner PM nominee Dragan Kalinic to return mandate to form govt. to Poplasen since he wont be able to form a govt. Dec. 4 - UCK says it rejects anything short of full ind.; Austrian FM Wolfgang Schuessel tells opp. leader Zoran Djindjic that Milo. is part of the (regions) problem, not of the solution Dec. 5 - Clinton extends Aouter wall of sanctions against Serbia for 6 more months (including freeze on Serbian bank accounts, property rights abroad, preventing Bel. from returning to membership in intl. orgs.); Westendorp calls viol. against EU monitors in Vlasenica area (in reaction to arrest of Gen. Radislav Krstic) unacceptable; Croatian conf. to raise funds for reconstruction and development only raises $25 mil. as EU reps. attend only at last minute in protest against slow rate of return of Serb refs. Dec. 6 - First 30 French troops for NATO RRF arrive at Petrovec, Mac. mil. airport w/ 40 tons of equipment, Fre. ship leaves for Mac. w/ 160 more troops, 128 vehicles (force to consist of 700 Fre., 350 Bri., 250 Ger., 200 Ita., 200 Dutch soldiers) Dec. 7 - Head of shadow-state negotiating team, Fehmi Agani, says Hill plan not acceptable (too much power given to Bel.); Serbian Dep. PM Tomislav Nikolic says if the peace process is established no one will be jeopardized, including the verifiers and if the West... think there should be peace, then they should not send their troops to Mac.; Solana says airstrike threat remains in place and Awe are not going to tolerate statements like the ones...that have been made today; Mac. PM Georgievski says Awe do not treat the deployment (of pks) at all as a hostile act towards a neighbor; Yugo. parl. passes bill raising govt. salaries by up to 300% w/ Milo. earning 18X the average monthly income in Serbia, govt. ministers 15X, legislators 10X (avg. monthly income $112); 1/4 of new budget to go to police; Gelbard comments that Poplasens actions and his words have shown us that he is against the Dayton agreement while Poplasen says he is ready to accept any argument about the viol. of the Dayton agreement and, if it happens, do everything to put a stop to it; Bos. Serb Gen. Radislav Krstic pleads before Hague that he is innocent of Srebrenica genocide; Croatian-Muslim Fed. to begin privatization within 2 months according to Privatization Agency; Croatia, Bos. agree to work on border questions beginning w/ region around Martin Brod (w. Bos.); Tudj. claims that media in Croatia freer than in many countries that criticize Croatia, that Croatia will not follow any other states orders Dec. 8 - Demaci says State Dept. should consider rep. other than Hill, that he doesnt understand problems of Kosovo and that it would be dangerous if the Albanians dont continue arming themselves and preparing for resistance; Albright calls on Milo. to give Kos. substantial autonomy; Serb Dep. PM Ratko Markovic calls Hill plan unacceptable as it calls for making Kos. 3rd fed. rep.; Human Rights Watch says up to 1,000 Kosovars being held by Serb auth.; Hague calls Serbian efforts to investigate '91 activities of former officers Mile Mrksic, Veselin Sljivancanin, Miroslav Radic a Aruse and calls for them to be sent to Hague for trial in killings of 260 non-Serbs in Vukovar hospital; Mon. Justice Min. Dragan Soc says fed. auth. preparing to bring down Podgorica govt.; Mac. PM Georgievski calls for EU assoc. membership; Albanian For. Min. issues statement that denies Serb claims of Alb. providing centers for training UCK guerillas and wanting to est. a greater Albania Dec. 9 - Serb Pres. Milutinovic formally rejects Hill plan, calls for the broadest possible dem. self-rule within the legal system of Serbia and Yugo., but Hill says negs. still on track Dec. 10 - Serb police using APC prevent Finnish forensic expert team from getting to Drenica to examine bodies of Sept. massacre, Serbs demand to be taken along which Finns refuse to do; AIntl. Herald Tribune reports that Serb forces engaged in deliberate effort to poison residential water wells in Kos. in Oct. Greek FM Theodoros Pangalos says there is no alternative to Milo., that were not happy also in thens w/ Mr. Milo., but hes there. Hes been elected, and he has cooperated to some extent...lets not divert our efforts, remarks made in response to Albright criticism of Milo.; US Admiral Joseph Ellis, NATO commander in southern Europe, formally opens base at Kumanovo, Mac. for use of 1,500 French-led NATO force; Mon. Min. of Industry says Mon. may open border w/out fed. govts permission; IPTF monitors have to be rescued from Bos. Croat mob in Stolac after they are denied access to part of police hq where illegal weapons are later found; Stolac police chief later resigns; Bos. Serb court sentences 2 Mus. men to 20 years in prison each, 1 other to 11 years for having taken part in Srebrenica massacre, Westendorps office says there was no evidence of their involvement; UN rep. in Bos., Elisabeth Rehn, meets w/ Poplasen, Dodik, signs agreement on reorganizing of RS police; Hague sentences Bos. Croat Anto Furundzija (29) to 10 years in prison for failing to stop beating, sexual assault of Muslim woman in his presence in '93; 2-day donors conference opens in BL, donors say they are willing to help provided RS implements Dayton; Croatian For. Min. tells Yugo. For. Min. it may reconsider allowing Yugo. to open consulate in Vukovar unless a clear response is made to Croatian request to open consulates in Kotor, Subotica; Slovenian PM Janez Drnovsek survives no-confidence vote, 66-24, on issue of intelligence service reaching secret agreement w/ Israeli intelligence in '95 which may have violated constitution Dec. 11 - District Court in Peja, Kosovo sentences 23-year old Naim Zejnaj to 13 years in prison for terrorism for his part in attack on Serb paramilitary police convoy in w. Kos. in May; Izet. demands Croatia withdraw its police from w. Bos. town of Martin Brod before border commission resumes its work, says that ACroatia is trying to declare the area a disputed border issue which needs to be negotiated; Westendorps office says Martin Brod clearly within Bos., but that matter should be resolved by joint border commission; Editor, 4 journalist of Croatian weekly ANacional charge Croatian Int. Min. w/ spying on them Dec. 12 - Mus.-Croat Fed. parl. re-elects for 2nd term Pres. Ejup Ganic, supports Ganic nomination of PM Edhem Bicakcic (both Party of Dem. Action, SDA) for 2nd term also, as well as that of 13-member (8 members from coalition, 5 from HDZ) cabinet; Ivo Andric Luzanski (HDZ) elected fed. VP, will hold position for 1 year and switch w/ Ganic; Dec. 13 - Milo. tells AWashington Post if NATO troops enter Kos. to rescue intl. monitors they will be aggressors and that it is the duty of our army not allow any foreign troops to get into our territory; EU drafts statement at end of Vienna summit calling for democratic reform, free media in Yugo., expresses support for Djukanovic, and that there is a lack of commitment by both sides in Kos. to support neg. process French-led NATO force begins process of building camps in n. Mac. Dec. 14 - 36 ethnic Albanians killed, 12 wounded in fighting w/ Yugo. border guards near Prizren, govt. says these were guerillas trying to smuggle weapons into province; gunmen open fire in Serb-owned bar in Peja killing 6 Serbs, wounding 5; ICT rules that Yugo. must accept its jurisdiction, demands surrender of 3 former army officers involved in Vukovar hospital massacre; European Commission approves $8.4 mil. in emergency aid for Kos.; IMF postpones readmission of Yugo. for 6 more months; Alb. For. Min. protests incidents on its border w/ Yugo. as Yugo. border guards fire shells into Alb. near Padesh; Croatian-Bosnian border commission meets in Zag. despite Izets demands that Croatian police withdraw from Martin Brod; Croatian high-school teachers stage day-long strike, demand 12% salary increase, more funds for educ. Dec. 15 - Solana says UN has approved NATO mission to use force to protect monitors in Kos.; Holbrooke meets w/ Milo., says gap between Serbs, Kosovars Ais very grave, but also condemns killings of 6 Serbs in Peja outrageous and unacceptable...appalling beyond words; Demaci says Serb regime, police responsible for cycle of violence that has left 40 dead in last 24 hours; Yugo. For. Ministry protests previous days border fighting to Albanian charge daffaires, say that this shows direct Albanian support for terrorists; Westendorp tells Bos. Peace Implementation Council in Madrid that ref. returns to areas where they are in a minority is priority for the coming months, for the coming two years; Croatia to open consulates in Kotor, Subotica, Yugo. to have consulate in Vukovar; County ct. indicts Dinko Sakic Dec. 16 - Serb provincial officials in Pristina call Peja killings the most monstrous crime...the problem is not about human rights, this is the most cruel terrorism and Nazism; 5,000 attend funerals for Peja victims; Demaci denies that UCK had anything to do with it, while Serbian media says US is the biggest accomplice in Peja killings; US State Dept. says Serb army, police have increased presence in several cities, along Malisheva road, KVM raises issue w/ Serb auth. who deny it; US Gen. Wesley Clark says Milo. fully responsible for the safety of the verifiers and that if he wont do it ANATO knows what to do and how to do it; US State Dept. warns Tudj. in statement that he is wrong to threaten force against NATO pks in Martin Brod, says he is engaging in Ascare tactics for partisan political ends after he accuses Hague of preparing indictments against himself, top generals; Tudj. also says that Serb problem has been solved w/ removal of all but small percentage during war Dec. 17 - Serb police arrest 3 ethnic Albanians for shootings in Peja bar, looking for another 11 suspects; Borba calls for withdrawal of KVM, US envoys from Kos., says they are direct instigators and helpers of the crimes committed by Albanian terrorists; crowd of 300 Serbs in Pristina say monitors did not respond sufficiently to shooting in Peja, chant, Put them in chains; UCK says it will have revenge for killing of 36 Kosovars near border w/ Alb., denies having anything to do w/ Peja murders and blames them on Serb police; Serb police kill 2, arrest 34 in w. Kos. as part of roundup associated w/ Peja killings; Serb. Int. Min. Vucic warns ind. Kos. papers that they risk legal action unless they change editorial policy to reflect territorial integrity of Serbia, says some of them Adirectly instigate terrorism Dec. 18 - Rugova says Kosovars to use maximum flexibility in talks w/ intl. community on peace agreement and that Kosovars have no choice but to deal w/ Milo., and that his party still committed to independence, but that ind. Kos. would not join Albania due to its minority populations; Serb dep. mayor of Fushe Kosova, Zvonko Bojanic, found dead on road, family says he was being abducted; Electricity to Alb.-lang. paper Bujku shut off in Pristina Dec. 19 - Demaci denies that UCK killed Bojanic, says UCK only attacks army or police; Alb. reports that 6 Yugo. soldiers crossed into Alb. previous day, fired shots into village in Tropoja area for 45 minutes, then withdraw; Fire destroys offices of Onasa news agency in Sara.; Tudj. says his visit to Russia does not mean they are turning their backs on US, but that Croatia will not allow any country to treat it as a colony Dec. 20 - 5,000 ethnic Albanians attend funeral at Pagaruisha for 33 UCK members killed in fight on border; 300 Serbs demonstrate in Pristina against death of Bojanic, demand large-scale return of Serbian police to area; 1 of 3 men at OSCE Walkers house in Pristina points gun at house, other police refuse to investigate (Walkers bodyguards are not allowed to carry weapons) Dec. 21 - Gunmen kill Serb policeman in Podujeva area Dec. 22 - Demaci says UCK to attack Serb paramilitary police everywhere unless they leave mainly ethnic Albanian areas of central Kos.; State Depts. Lawrence Rossin meets w/ UCK reps. in Kosovar village, UCK claims it had nothing to do w/ killings of Serb civilians; Serbs kill 1 Kosovar, arrest 6 more in raid on suspected guerilla post; OSCEs Walker says Serb auth. are generally uncooperative w/ the (OSCE) mission, also condemns UCK for irresponsibly carrying out provocative missions against Serb targets; UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, ends 3 day trips to Bel., Kos., calls on Milo. to implement Oct. amnesty agreement, but also praises Serbs for coop. in allowing dps to return to their homes; Djukanovoc aid Misko Vukovic says Mon. to observe '92 fed. agreement as long at there remains a real chance of defeating the totalitarian regime of ...Milo.; Greek FM Pangalos, in Skopje, says 2 countries should stress common Orthodox bonds but that Greece will never recognize a Slavic minority in the part of the historic region of Mac. that belongs to Greece; IPTF fires Bos. Serbs Momir Vukovic, Spasoje Camur from jobs in RS police for their part in detention and torture of 14 in connection of Aug. killing of Bos. Serb police official Srdjan Knezevic; Hague ct. indicts Mladen Naletilic, Vinko Martinovic for war crimes against Muslims in Mostar area in '93, both have been arrested by Croatian police in Zag. Dec. 23 - Croatian police finally leave Martin Brod after Canadian SFOR troops tell them to so on Westendorps orders, replaced by Bos. Fed. police Dec. 24 - Serb, UCK forces fighting in Llap region (near Podujeva); Albanian For. Min. condemns Serb actions, calls for NATO intervention; Tudj., Bos. leaders open bridge linking Zupanja (e. Cro.) and Orasje across Sava R.; Muslim, Croat deps. in RS parl. vote to retain Dodik Dec. 25 - Milo. announces promotion of Gen. Nebojsa Pavkovic of Pristina Corps to become Commander of Third Army (including Kos.) Dec. 26 - Gen. Wesley Clark says Awe are seeing the emergence of a new round of the possible significant escalation in the scope and intensity of the viol. by the Serb side Dec. 27 - Fighting w/ artillery, mortars in village of Lapastica near Podujevo (20 miles n. of Pris.) now in 4th day, 10 Kosovars dead so far, Serbs claim they are protecting, evacuating Serbs in area while trying to remove body of Serb farmer killed after his family fired on UCK members, observers say Serbs disproportionate due to use of up to 100 tanks; Poplasen says that he still wants Dragan Kalinic to head cabinet despite parl. vote in favor of Dodik Dec. 28 - OSCEs Geremek says it may re-evaluate decision to place 2,000 monitors in province (600 in place) if fighting continues, blames both sides, calls for pullback; as many as 1,000 have fled recent fighting; UCK says it still respects truce but that it will defend itself when attacked; Rugova says civilian Albanian pop. threatened in Llap region, that greater intl. involvement needed including NATO to force Bel. to back down; UNHCR says it is looking for 5,000 who fled homes in past weeks fighting; Opp. Social Democratic Party, Social Democrats of Bos-Her. meet in Tuzla, agree to merge into new Social Democratic party of Bos-Her. (25 seats out of 140 in Fed. lower house); Joint presidency votes to keep Silajdzic as co-premier, replace hard-liner Serb Boro Bosic w/ moderate Svetozar Mihajlovic for other position; HDZs Neven Tomic to remain as dep. premier; joint parl. must vote on; Poplasen tells Vecernje Novosti that Bos. Serbs to seek closer integration w/ Yugo. Ain the near future, says they are entitled to better ties w/ Bel. as quid-pro-quo for having accepted Dayton; Tudj. says high points of '98 were reintegration of eastern Slavonia, papal visit, signing of agreement on specail rels. between Croatia, BiH; top aide Ivic Pasalic, says govt. may reconsider or even stop coop. w/ Hague if court indicts persons currently top commanders of Croatian army due to atrocities committed during '95 offensive Dec. 29 - More OSCE monitors sent in to shore up truce, NATO repeats warnings that it may intervene if both sides fail to observe Oct. 12 truce deal; 7 members of US Senate For. Rels. Committee urge Clinton to provide incentives to force Milo. to step down, accept exile in 3rd country, encourage ban on contacts between US officials, lifting of sanctions against Mon. Dec. 31 - Bos. Serb President Poplasen nominates Brano Miljus of western-oriented Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) to be PM after ultranationalist Dragan Kalinic (SDS) fails to win majority of 83 seat Bos. Serb parl.