Subject: Greece urges international action to end rebel attacks in Serbia
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 10:20:10 PST
From: C-afp@... (AFP)
Organization: Copyright 2000 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
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ATHENS, Dec 29 (AFP) - Greece urged the international community
Friday to help Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica end attacks
from ethnic Albanian rebels in southern Serbia.
"We condemn these terrorist acts," said foreign ministry
spokesman Panos Beglitis.
"The restraint and willingness to hold a dialogue shown by
President Kostunica should enjoy the support of the international
community and be welcomed with a positive and immediate response,"
he said.
Athens, a traditional ally of Yugoslavia, said the situation was
worsening in southern Serbia where ethnic Albanians are mounting
attacks against Serbian police in a buffer zone along the
administrative border between Kosovo and the rest of Serbia.
The buffer zone was set up by NATO under the terms of a 1999
accord that ended the air war against Yugoslavia and paved the way
for peacekeepers to be deployed in Kosovo, now under UN
administration.
The foreign ministry spokesman called for "coordinated action"
by the international community to end the violence in southern
Serbia.
The rebel groups "want to test the democratic changes in Serbia
and destabilise the region at a time when hope for peace and
prosperity is being born again," he said.
The statement came a day after the Yugoslav parliament adopted a
statement, drafted by the government, calling on the United Nations
to do all it can to end the guerrilla attacks near Kosovo.
Belgrade has warned that it will take military action if the
United Nations and NATO fail to end the violence.