Diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the Kosovo conflict received a boost yesterday when the EU gave Finland's President, Mr Martti Ahtisaari, a full mandate to act as an international mediator between NATO and Yugoslavia.
The German chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, met Mr Ahtisaari in Helsinki yesterday and pledged EU support for the Finnish peace initiative.
"I can support without reservation what the president told me here about his negotiating position. We want to find a political solution on the basis of clear principles," he said.
Mr Ahtisaari will meet the Russian special envoy to Kosovo, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Strobe Talbott, in Helsinki today. He declined yesterday to discuss the agenda for the talks or to say when he planned to visit Belgrade to meet President Slobodan Milosovic.
"We want to complete the preliminary work as quickly as possible," he said.
As one of the EU's four neutral member-states, Finland is not involved in NATO's military campaign against Yugoslavia and Helsinki enjoys close relations with Moscow.
Mr Ahtisaari's initiative enjoys the support of the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, and Mr Schroder made it clear yesterday that he regards the Finnish president's efforts as the best hope of finding a peaceful solution to the Kosovo conflict.
"Mr Ahtisaari can depend on the full support of the EU," he said.
The Chancellor flew from Helsinki to the Italian town of Bari for talks with the Prime Minister, Mr Massimo D'Alema. Germany yesterday gave a lukewarm response to Mr D'Alema's proposal that NATO should stop bombing Yugoslavia if Russia and China backed a UN Security Council resolution on Kosovo.
The resolution would be based on the principles agreed earlier this month by the world's seven leading industrialised nations and Russia. These required a withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo and the return of ethnic Albanian refugees under the protection of an international peacekeeping force.
Mr D'Alema said on Sunday that, if Mr Milosovic refused to accept the conditions set out in the proposed UN resolution, NATO should send ground troops into Kosovo.
Germany's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Guenther Verheugen, yesterday criticised the plan as lacking certain details and warned that deploying land forces carried considerable military and political risks.
All Germany's political parties oppose the use of ground troops in Kosovo and Mr Schroder has repeatedly ruled out any such escalation of NATO's campaign.
EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels yesterday gave their backing to Mr Ahtisaari's "willingness to work on behalf of the Union" and stressed the need to work urgently for a UN Security Council resolution.
The desire to contribute to a new diplomatic offensive on Belgrade was reflected in the attendance at different stages of the meeting by President Milan Djukanovic of Montenegro, the Kosovan leader, Mr Ibrahim Rugova, and the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Igor Ivanov.
Stressing his willingness to work for a common UN Security Council resolution, Mr Ivanov however told journalists that "work will not go on in the best possible form if bombs are still being dropped". Diplomats say they did not see any significant movement yesterday but are pinning hopes on the meeting tomorrow of G8 political directors.
Mr Djukanovic, whose personal courage and integrity was praised by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, told foreign ministers that he does not think that Mr Milosevic will be the person with whom one could have a political agreement on a lasting peace, according to officials. He said Mr Milosevic was trying to impose his will on Montenegro, Serbia's smaller pro-western partner in Yugoslavia, by stationing 45,000 Yugoslav troops there and censoring state television.
Ministers also gave their approval to detailed plans for a stability pact for the region, an elaborate permanent conference which would bring democratic states in the region together, with the EU, US, the UN and other interested countries and intergovernmental organisations, to encourage mutual trade and co-operation and plan the post-war reconstruction of the region.