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Saturday, September 30 7:38 PM SGT

Putin breaks silence on Yugoslavia to offer poll mediation

MOSCOW, Sept 30 (AFP) -

President Vladimir Putin ended a week-long silence over Yugoslavia's disputed
elections by
declaring his readiness Saturday to send Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov to mediate
the crisis in
Belgrade.

In his first public comments on the outcome of Sunday's controversial poll,
Putin told journalists at
the Kremlin he was prepared to dispatch Ivanov "for consulations with all the
participants" in the
election.

"If Belgrade considers it possible, we are ready to be more active in the
process of resolving and
coordinating the positions (of the different parties)," he added, in comments
broadcast on RTR state
television.

In a veiled criticism of Western partners, whom the Russians accuse of meddling
in Yugoslavia's
internal politics, Putin voiced his opposition to escalating the crisis in any
form.

"The position of Russia is clear: the Yugoslav people, and only the Yugoslav
people, must decide
their ultimate fate and future, without the interference of outside elements,"
he added.

"If another path were to be taken, the future legitimacy of the leader would be
placed under
question. That would only prolong the destabilisation."

Russia, a traditional ally of Serbia, has so far refused to say who it believes
won the first round
contest between Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and the opposition
candidate Vojislav
Kostunica.

However, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in Moscow on Monday that Putin
shared his
view the Yugoslavs had apparently voted for "democratic change."

But in his first public statement on the crisis, Putin delivered a rebuff to the
United States and the
European Union who have declared Kostunica the first-round winner and rejected
the need for a
second poll.

"All the disputed questions must be settled within the existing legislation of
the country," he said,
adding that he hoped the final outcome of "the election would produce a
legitimate president in
Yugoslavia."

The 18-party alliance Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), which backs
Kostunica, has labelled
the official results of Sunday's vote fraudulent after they failed to hand the
opposition candidate an
outright victory.

DOS said Kostunica had won more than 52 percent of the vote, but the federal
electoral
commission put his share of the poll at 48.96 percent -- less than the 50
percent required to avoid a
run-off ballot -- compared with 38.62 percent for Milosevic.

Ivanov has criticised the West for seeking to preempt the election outcome and
for disparaging the
official results of an election which he claimed Wednesday had passed off
"without serious
irregularities."

Putin endorsed the view of Ivanov, his prospective envoy to Belgrade, in his
remarks Saturday, and
challenged the Serbian opposition to contest the results through the proper
channels, instead of in the
forum of international opinion.

"The central election commission, or a (Yugoslav) court, must adjudicate on the
results of the
election process," he insisted.

Putin's mediation offer came amid a flurry of diplomatic activity Saturday, with
the Greek
government also bidding to resolve the stand-off in Belgrade and US Secretary of
State Madeleine
Albright due in Paris Monday to discuss the crisis with French Foreign Minister
Hubert Vedrine.

A two-day visit to Moscow by Vedrine ended inconclusively Friday with Russia and
the European
Union, of which France currently holds the six-month rotating presidency, still
at odds over
Yugoslavia's political future.

Albright will discuss the disputed Yugoslav poll with Vedrine, EU foreign policy
supremo Javier
Solana and EU Commissioner for External Affairs Chris Patten on the sidelines of
Monday's US-EU
ministerial meeting in Paris.

Meanwhile Greece, which like Russia has strong historical and religious ties
with Serbia, has also
offered to mediate between Belgrade and the West.

Greek government spokesman Panos Beglitis said his country was ready to take
initiatives "in
cooperation with all the interested parties" in Yugoslavia in order to resolve
post-election crisis.