Belgrade parliament back in business

Yugoslavia's new parliament met in the building that was burned in October

Legislators in Yugoslavia have met in Belgrade's parliament building for the first time since it was set on fire and ransacked by demonstrators during last October's popular uprising against former President Slobodan Milosevic.

Members of parliament adopted a government declaration calling on the United Nations to clear Albanian fighters from the demilitarised zone between Kosovo and Serbia proper.

The declaration was prompted by an escalation of rebel activity in the area.

The Yugoslav Government said Nato, which oversees the UN-declared zone, was not doing enough to stop the rebels.

New rules

The government has also demanded changes in the agreement setting up the demilitarised zone. The agreement permits only lightly-armed police patrols in the zone.

But ethnic Albanians have been infiltrating the area, killing Serbs.

Nato troops are responsible for keeping the peace

The Yugoslav leadership has threatened to expel the rebels itself if the UN does not take immediate action.

The federal government says it is trying to protect Yugoslavia's national and state interests.

Belgrade has accused Nato-led forces in Kosovo of not doing enough to stop ethnic Albanian rebels from using the province as a staging post.

In the declaration, the parliament calls on the UN Security Council to set a deadline and take action for an immediate withdrawal of the separatists from the buffer zone.

Territorial claims

The document goes on to say that Yugoslavia will never permit part of its territory to be taken away.

Senior officals stressed they were not setting an ultimatum, but they warned that their security forces would resolve the matter if it was not settled by diplomatic means.

In southern Serbia, the situation is reported to be calm, but army commanders say they are poised for what they describe as strong provocations and attacks.

They say the Albanian rebels have long-range weapons which could threaten the main Serbian towns near the border.