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![]() Wednesday, April 28, 1999 Published at 03:14 GMT 04:14 UK ![]() ![]() World: Europe ![]() Nato threatens escalating air war ![]() British troops and armoured vehicles are adding to the Nato build-up ![]() The Supreme Commander of Nato forces in Europe, General Wesley Clark, has given a warning that the bombing carried out so far against Yugoslav military targets is a fraction of what will take place unless Belgrade agrees to Nato demands over Kosovo.
Nato leaders are sticking to their policy that the air offensive against Yugoslavia will be enough to force President Milosevic to back down but have asked commanders to update contingency plans for a land invasion. The president said he expects Defence Secretary William Cohen to call up reservists from all branches of the military to "fill critical support positions in our humanitarian and combat operations" in and around Yugoslavia. Around 2,000 members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve are expected to be the first to be mobilised. 'Noose tightens'
"The noose around Yugoslavia is tightening," General Clark told a press briefing at Nato headquarters on Tuesday.
"This is a campaign that's working," General Clark told reporters adding that the air campaign would be intensified in line with an agreement by alliance leaders at the weekend.
The BBC's correspondent in Belgrade, Jackie Rowland, says some economists estimate that the financial damage is greater than the losses sustained by Yugoslavia during the whole of World War II. Oil embargo
Nato says the number of ships unloading oil into Yugoslav ports has increased significantly since the idea of an oil embargo was first proposed. General Clark said up to 10 tankers a day were docking at the Montenegrin port of Bar, though this has been hotly denied by the port authorities. France is among a number alliance members to have expressed reservations about the plan saying that it would be illegal without a specific UN resolution and could spark a confrontation with Russia. On Tuesday General Clark told reporters he believed that any oil embargo should be backed up with the threat of force. "Any visit-and-search regime of course has to have appropriate rules of engagement," he said.
Mr Ivanov was speaking after talks in Moscow with the US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, who described the talks as open, serious and constructive, but gave few details. Civilian area 'hit' In the latest Nato raids, Serbian officials say at least 16 civilians were killed in an attack on a residential area in the southern town of Surdulica. Yugoslav officials say a number of homes were destroyed when two missiles hit the centre of town. Nato said it had struck an army barracks, but declined to rule out it might have killed civilians in the strike. As yet there has been no independent confirmation of these reports, correspondents say the authorities are organising a convoy of vehicles to take journalists to the scene.
Meanwhile, aid agencies say the lives of ethnic Albanian refugees sheltering in camps along the Kosovo Albanian border are in danger because of increased Serb military activity. Serbian snipers and artillery have been targeting Kosovo Liberation Army positions close to some of the camps, where 50,000-80,000 refugees have arrived over the past few weeks.
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