U.S. joins Balkans peace mission

Powell starts the talks in Paris

PARIS, France -- Renewed diplomatic efforts to end continuing violence in the Balkans are taking place in France with U.S. participation.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has held his first meeting with foreign ministers from the six-nation Contact Group formed to tackle ongoing problems in the Balkans following the break-up of Yugoslavia.

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin voiced concern at what he calls a "unilateral" approach to international affairs by President George W. Bush's administration.

Powell is due to meet both Jospin and French President Jacques Chirac while in France.

There has been concern in Europe that Washington could unilaterally cut its commitments in the Balkans.

But Powell said after Bush's election victory that U.S. troops entered Bosnia and Kosovo with their NATO allies and they would come out together.

The Paris talks began as NATO said 12 suspected guerrillas had been detained crossing into Kosovo from Albania.

They are suspected of belonging to a group of armed rebels operating in Macedonia, said U.N. spokesman Andreas Graf.

Powell is to visit the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Kosovo -- which remains part of federal Yugoslavia -- but he is not going to Belgrade.

Washington has said it wants to see progress towards the extradition of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

The U.S. administration has warned it may block an international donors' conference tentatively set for late in May if it does not see progress.

Serbia has arrested former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, but has resisted transferring him for trial for alleged war crimes in Kosovo to a U.N. court in the Netherlands.

In Macedonia, Powell is expected to show support for the Macedonian Government and is due to meet Macedonia's Albanian leader Arben Xhaferi.

He will then travel to Kosovo where he is expected to encourage the majority Albanian population to pursue peaceful means to achieve their political aspirations.

Powell travels to Bosnia on Friday where tensions are rising as Croat hardliners attempt to pull away from a federation with their Muslim neighbours.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Albania
Contact Group
Republic of Macedonia

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