Russian Foreign Minister speaks on Kosovo

Russia's Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, has said his country will play an active role in the Balkans and deny the West a monopoly of influence in Yugoslavia.

Speaking at the State Duma, Mr Ivanov said Russia had continued to support Yugoslavia's president Milosevic, while most Western countries supported the opposition.

But Mr Ivanov said Russia wouldn't close the door to Yugoslavia's opposition.

He said Moscow would maintain relations with both the government and the opposition in order to preserve Russia's position in Yugoslavia irrespective of its domestic political situation. Last week, Russian officials met an opposition leader, Vuk Draskovic, in Moscow.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service