NATO campaign:
Belgrade again blacked out, but NATO no longer willing to say which weapons it is using against power stations - indicating that it may have gone beyond the "soft bombs" that just switch the lights off to high explosives that could destroy Serbia's power supplies altogether. In the event, power stations hit for the third night running, in widespread raids on Serbia: state-run Serbian television, RTS, reports electrical installations also hit in the Vojvodina province of northern Serbia and in Nis, in the southeast; most of Serbia without power. Water reserves down to 8 per cent, according to Beta news agency; only 40 per cent of Belgrade reported to have water.
Strangely missing from the tally of destroyed tanks and blasted armour that NATO doles out to prove the destructiveness of its campaign is any estimate of how many Serbian soldiers have been killed. But Serb soldiers are undoubtedly dying, probably in serious numbers in Kosovo, where NATO is using fearsome A-10 Thunderbolts, AC-130 Spectre gunships and F-16s designed to chew up and incinerate concentrations of troops and armour. It's a taboo subject on both sides - bad politics for Milosevic, certainly, but also for NATO, as it clings to a "fair play" ideal of warfare that will preserve unity in its own ranks, avoid a total breach with Russia and keep open the door to a negotiated settlement.
Diplomacy:
After meeting Chinese leaders in Beijing, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou insists resolution to the conflict is doubtful unless NATO halts its bombing campaign. The Chinese "were very, very clear on the fact that they would not be able to vote for a UN resolution if the bombing did not stop", he said. He added that both Greece and the Czech Republic (NATO members) would submit a proposal to the NATO council tomorrow to halt the bombings and give the UN a chance to negotiate a peace agreement. Greece has not joined NATO's air strikes against Yugoslavia, fearing a backlash from a public which shares Serbia's predominantly Orthodox Christian faith.
Papandreou also said that China had indicated it would not support a resolution that turned Kosovo into an independent state - a position Greece shared. He added: "It's also a question for the Balkans in general. If we decide as an international community to solve minority problems by changing borders, we're opening up a Pandora's box." Papandreou is in New York today for a meeting with Kofi Annan. He is also due to meet the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, tomorrow.
Refugees:
New tide of Kosovo Albanians heads for Macedonia, threatening to overcrowd refugee camps again and raising political temperatures in the small Balkan state. Influx comes after tense overnight standoff between Macedonian authorities (who wanted to send some of Saturday's arrivals straight to Albania) and the UNHCR, which said no one should go against their will.
Yugoslav army allows three trucks, including two carrying humanitarian aid, to cross into Montenegro from Croatia, according to independent media sources. These are the first lorries to be let in from Croatia since the army set up a checkpoint just inside the frontier in the middle of last week. Still barred from entry, however, are 15 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from France and Italy.
And...
Two opposition parties urge Milosevic to strike a deal over Kosovo to end the bombing, while an independent newspaper reports thousands of anti-war protesters demonstrating in three towns to demand the withdrawal of reservists from the strife-torn province.
Quote of the Day:
"I was lucky. I was beaten only on the hands 70 to 100 times. Others were forced to fight with each other. They gave them broomsticks and told them to fight." Fitim Syla (24), one of thousands of young male Kosovo refugees just released.