Russia Apologizes for War Crimes Suspect’s Visit

Russia apologized Wednesday for playing host to indicted war criminal Gen. Dragoljub Ojdanic, the Yugoslav defense minister, and said senior military officers had been disciplined for inviting him to Moscow.

Facing up to a chorus of Western outrage, Russian Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov indicated to his NATO counterparts that the Ojdanic visit earlier this month had been organized by Defense Ministry officials without his knowledge.

“This was prompted by an internal, technical hitch between agencies and ministries, and measures are being taken so that this shall not be repeated,” Ivanov told a news conference at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization foreign ministers conference in Florence.

His reference to “disciplinary measures” was made in private, and no names or further details were cited.

Unofficial Russian sources said those disciplined may have included Gen. Leonid G. Ivashov, chief of the Defense Ministry international relations department and noted for fierce anti-Western rhetoric. But there was no official information.

The United States and other NATO members were outraged to learn nearly two weeks ago that Ojdanic, indicted for alleged crimes committed while he led Yugoslav forces during the “ethnic cleansing” of Kosovo--a province of Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic--had been received with full honors in Moscow the week of May 7.