SERB POWS SET FREE

May 18, 1999
		International Red Cross workers returned the two Serb POWs to authorities on the Yugoslav/Hungarian border today. More warplanes, meanwhile, are headed to the region, but diplomats are also discussing peace. --Posted 4:15 p.m. EDT

Strikes in Yugoslavia coverage May 13, 1999: Presidential hopefuls on Kosovo May 12, 1999: A report from Yugoslavia May 11, 1999: Bombing the Chinese Embassy May 10, 1999: The Chinese Ambassador to US May 10, 1999: Fallout from the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade Complete NewsHour coverage of Europe   NATO US State Department Serbian Ministry of Information

The US has freed two Serbian soldiers held as prisoners of war by the American military since their capture earlier this month. Clinton administration officials called the move neither a goodwill gesture to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic nor a returned favor for his decision to free three American soldiers also this month. The two soldiers were identified by the U.S. embassy in Hungary as Boban Milenkovic and Sefko Tairovic, both in their mid-20s. An American military plane carried the soldiers from Germany to Budapest. A convoy then took the men to the border town of Horgos, where International Red Cross workers turned the men over to Yugoslav authorities shortly before 3pm local time. The U.S. embassy also drew a sharp distinction between the treatment of the Serb POWs as opposed to three American servicemen freed earlier this month. "The humane treatment of the Serb POWs by the U.S. is in sharp contrast to the treatment of the three American soldiers held captive by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY)," the embassy statement read. "The American POWs were physically mistreated at the time of their capture and during interrogation. The ICRC was allowed to visit them only after intense pressure on FRY authorities to comply with this fundamental provision of the Geneva convention." Defense Secretary William Cohen said the move was designed to urge President Milosevic to release any future American POWs quickly, and should not be misinterpreted as a quid-pro-quo for the release of three American servicemen held for 32 days by Belgrade. The release comes on a day when some hope of a diplomatic solution seemed on the rise. In Belgrade, President Milosevic has signaled that he's ready to "cut a deal" with NATO if the bombing stops, said a spokesman in Belgrade. In addition, Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari has organized a meeting between Russian special envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. Talbott hopes that Russia would support NATO's peace demands. Defense Secretary Cohen says the bombing will continue intensifying until an agreement would be reached. Cohen said the U.S. will not support such action, but did say the bombing could be far from over. ``It may take weeks. It may take months,'' he said.

REGIONS TOPICS RECENT PROGRAMS ABOUT US FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS / FEEDS:

Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station.
PBS Online Privacy Policy Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.