Crisis ill Kosovo_
Red Cross allowed to visit captive U.S. soldiers
By George Jahn
The Associated Press
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia—Near
ly a month after Yugoslav forces
captured three U.S. soldiers along a
disputed border, the Red Cross was
finally allowed to see the men but
chances of their release anytime
soon were considered slim.
Western officials cited critical
comments by a Yugoslav leader,
meanwhile, as evidence of the first
crack in President Slobodan Milo
sevic’s regime since the NATO air
campaign in Kosovo began March
24.
The U.N. relief agency said it had
credible evidence Serb forces were
usipg Kosovo refugees as human
shields to help protect them from
NATO airstrikes. And NATO said
its anti-tank Apache helicopter
force was ready to begin operations
from neighboring Albania.
The European Union tightened
economic sanctions and banned
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“this location only”
fuel shipments to Yugoslavia but
left the touchy issue of enforcing
it with an Adriatic naval blockade
to be worked out by the NATO al
liance.
International Committee of the
Red Cross chief Comelio Som
maruga gave no information about
the soldiers’ condition but said a
Red Cross doctor and a delegate
would pay another visit to the
three Tuesday. After meeting
Milosevic, though, he expressed
pessimism they would be freed
before the war ends.
“International humanitarian
law says prisoners of war would
be liberated at the end of active
hostilities. Regrettably, we are not
at this point at the moment,” Som
maruga said.
The U.S. soldiers were shown on
Serb TV after their March 31 cap
ture near the Macedonia border
with bruised faces and cuts. The
Red Cross had repeatedly been de
I
nied access to the soldiers, who are
believed held in or near Belgrade.
“I was able to talk to them only a
few minutes,” Sommaruga said at
a news conference. "We looked
into each other’s eyes and shook
hands very warmly.”
Sommaruga said “it was not
possible to have a full-fledged
ICRC visit in accord with the pro
visions of the Geneva Conven
tion” but that he had given the
men letters from their families and
paper to write back.
White House spokesman Joe
Lockhart said Monday’s meeting
came “25 days late” and repre
sented a “bare minimum” of what
international law requires in terms
of access to war captives. He said
the three “appear to be in good
condition.”
Held captive are Staff Sgt. An
drew A. Ramirez, 24, of Los Ange
les; Spc. Steven M. Gonzales, 21,
of Huntsville, Texas; and Staff Sgt.
Christopher J. Stone, 25, of Smiths
Creek, Mich.
When told the Red Cross had
seen his son, Stone’s father, Jim C.
Stone of Avoca, Mich., said
“Yippee! That’s absolutely won
derful news.”
Stone’s mother-in-law, Lisa
McKinney of San Antonio, Texas,
said: “At least we know he’s alive.”
Sommaruga also said the ICRC
would work to reopen its mission
in Kosovo after receiving security
assurances from Milosevic.
On Monday afternoon, air raid
alerts sounded in Novi Sad and
Nis, Yugoslavia’s second- and
third-largest cities, signaling
NATO attacks. After sunset, air
raid sirens sounded in the central
industrial town of Cacak.
NATO missiles blasted an al
ready damaged bridge over the
Danube River earlier in the day,
sending the last of three rail and
road crossings in Novi Sad crash
ing into the water.
NATO said it was destroying
the bridges in the northern city to
prevent troop deployments south
to Kosovo.
Western officials said there
were signs the air campaign was
succeeding in demoralizing Serb
resistance. They cited remarks by
Yugoslavia’s deputy premier, Vuk
Draskovic, who called on Yu
goslav leaders to “stop lying to the
people in Serbia, and finally tell
them the truth.”
Draskovic, once the main oppo
sition leader before joining Milo
sevic’s government last year, said
Serbia has been seriously weak
ened by the allied bombardment.
“They must say what will be left
of Serbia in 20 days if the bombing
continues,” Draskovic said, telling
CNN the Serb leadership must ac
knowledge that “we cannot defeat
NATO” and “we must respect this
reality.”
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