The Russian deputy foreign minister, Aleksandar Avdeyev, has had talks in Belgrade with President Milosevic.

Mr Avdeyev is the most senior foreign official to meet the Yugoslav President, who has been indicted by a UN court for alleged war crimes, since the end of the NATO bombing campaign in June.

The official Yugoslav news agency Tanjug said afterwards that Mr Milosevic had demanded the deployment of a contingent of Yugoslav troops and police in Kosovo, as allowed for under the Security Council resolution ending the Kosovo conlict. Mr Avdeyev also had talks with the Serbian ultra-nationalist leader, Vojislav Seselj.