London - The major powers will on Friday challenge the leaders of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Albanians to open direct peace talks within 10 days or face NATO military action, Western diplomats said yesterday.
They said foreign ministers of the six-nation Contact Group would meet in Paris to issue a virtual summons to negotiate on a plan for interim self-rule in Kosovo, after NATO sends a fresh warning to Yugoslav President, Mr Slobodan Milosevic, today.
The aim is to hold continuous face-to-face negotiations, probably in Vienna, mediated by US envoy, Mr Christopher Hill, European Union Kosovo emissary, Mr Wolfgang Petritsch, and possibly Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Alexander Avdeyev.
Gen Klaus Naumann, head of NATO's military committee, told ZDF German television that both Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) had to understand that NATO was ready to strike military targets if necessary.