Belgrade Calls On Kosovo Serbs To Participate In Elections

During the joint session, the members of the Yugoslav and Serb governments called upon the Kosovo Serbs Friday to participate in the Kosovo parliamentary elections on November 17. Reportedly, the session followed the negotiations between Hans Haekkerup, the head of the UN mission in Kosovo, and Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica and other Yugoslav officials. Many foreign leaders, namely George W. Bush, Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac, have recently addressed the Yugoslav President to urge Serbs to participate in the elections. The Serb government stated that such a participation was possible only if certain conditions were fulfilled, such as the guaranteed security and freedom of movement for the non-Albanian population of the region, the return of refugees to their homes, investigation into the fate of the kidnapped.