Kosovo Mediators Focus on Peace
Ethnic Albanians pressed for a formal cease-fire for Kosovo while Serbs sought a pledge to keep Yugoslavia’s borders unchanged as the two sides continued negotiations Monday at a French chateau here.
A formal cease-fire, signed by both sides, would amount to a de facto Serbian recognition of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
At the same time, international mediators wanted to drop what they called these “side issues” and move on to details of a peace settlement for the province, where more than 2,000 people have died and about 300,000 have been driven from their homes in a year of fighting.
The sides still are not meeting face to face.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said Monday that President Clinton intends to include U.S. ground troops in any NATO force sent to preserve a Kosovo peace settlement, provided the accord is solid.
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