WASHINGTON – President Clinton yesterday promised to stand by any Balkan nation threatened by Yugoslavia, even as he renewed efforts to chart a diplomatic way out of the Kosovo crisis.
Clinton spoke by telephone for an hour with Boris Yeltsin, urging the Russian leader to press Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to accept a peaceful solution.
He also ordered Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott to fly to meet with Russia’s special envoy on Kosovo, Viktor Chernomyrdin, although Russia has been frustrated by NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia.
At the same time, Clinton waved his sword, notifying Milosevic that threats to Yugoslavia’s seven neighboring states will not be tolerated.
“If Mr. Milosevic threatens them for helping us, we will respond,” Clinton said, as three days of special celebratory NATO meetings ended here yesterday afternoon. “We will stand by neighboring countries.
“The nations of the region have risked, and even faced, armed confrontation with Serbia by facilitating and supporting our campaign to end the bloodshed in Kosovo,” said Clinton, whose comments were endorsed by the 18 other NATO countries.
Even though it’s risky for a small, poor country, Albania has opened up its airports to American soldiers and Apache helicopters. Hungary has agreed to turn over all three of its military airfields to NATO warplanes.
Also, smaller NATO nations are going along with a Pentagon plan to enforce an oil embargo on Yugoslavia – which could lead to warfare in the Adriatic Sea and push Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro into the hot zone.
French President Jacques Chirac stepped forward with Clinton yesterday, warning Milosevic not to mess with Montenegro.
Among the other developments yesterday:
*NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said Allied aircraft can fly more varied – and safer – routes now that Romania and Slovenia have granted access to their airspace.
*Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) predicted easy approval of a $10 billion package to fund the Kosovo mission, $4 billion more than Clinton sought.