By
The Associated Press
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia - Yugoslavia's new president bolstered his grip on power yesterday by winning key concessions from Serbia and acknowledged for the first time that Yugoslav forces committed widespread killings in Kosovo last year.
Although well short of an apology, President Vojislav Kostunica's statements marked the first time any Yugoslav leader has expressed regret for the conflicts in the Balkans. In an interview, Kostunica spoke about Belgrade's role in starting - and losing - four Balkan wars in the past decade.
Kostunica has so far refused to extradite anyone, including the man he replaced as president, Slobodan Milosevic, for trial on war crimes charges before a U.N. court in The Hague, Netherlands. But he has raised the possibility of trying suspects in Yugoslavia.
"I am ready to ... accept the guilt for all those people who have been killed," Kostunica told CBS News' "60 Minutes II," according to a transcript. "For what Milosevic had done, and as a Serb, I will take responsibility for many of these, these crimes."
"Those are the crimes and the people that have been killed are victims," Kostunica said, adding "there are a lot of crimes on the other side, and the Serbs have been killed."
Yugoslav state television in Belgrade aired the Kostunica interview with Serbian language voice-over yesterday. The interview was scheduled for broadcast in the United States last night.
Also yesterday, in a significant victory for the new president, the Serbian parliament approved a transition government to administer Yugoslavia's main republic until new elections on Dec. 23.
Milosevic's party agreed to share power with democracy forces in the transition government - a major concession since Serbia's current administration could have served until regular elections in the fall of 2001. Kostunica's supporters held only three seats in the 250-member Serb legislature.
Early elections - expected to be formally announced today - will give the democracy forces the chance to expand their control of one of the last bastions of Milosevic's power.
Establishment of new administrations at both the federal and republic levels are preconditions for receiving millions of dollars in emergency aid from the West to rebuild Yugoslavia's shattered economy.
The United States and its allies, eager to see democracy take root in Yugoslavia, have promised aid despite a lack of a firm commitment from Kostunica to surrender Milosevic and other indicted war crimes suspects to the U.N. court in The Hague.
Despite taking office Oct. 7, Kostunica's camp has been slow in moving toward major reforms because Milosevic's party still holds a significant amount of power, not only within the Serbian parliament but the federal assembly as well.
Milosevic's Socialists, who hold 110 of the 250 seats in the Serbian parliament, agreed to the transition government plan Oct. 16. However, parliamentary approval was delayed because of differences with Kostunica's Democratic Opposition of Serbia on individual appointments.
After the Socialists bowed to Kostunica's demands, the ultranationalist Radical Party filibustered a parliament session for seven hours Monday, forcing a postponement until yesterday afternoon.
The Radicals - complaining of a pro-democracy "coup and dictatorship" - walked out of yesterday's session to protest a decision by state television not to broadcast the proceedings live.
"We intended to tell the viewers what they can expect from the American-led government of Serbia," said deputy Stevan Dragisic, echoing the Radicals' claim that Kostunica's forces were brought to power by the CIA and the U.S. administration.
The new Serbian prime minister, Milosevic ally Milomir Minic, said he agreed to the transitional administration and to accept the post "in order to solve the country's crisis by political means."
Minic said the agreement on the new government, made under pressure from new pro-democracy forces, was "reached between two fierce political enemies."
He said the Socialists accepted the agreement "not because of fear, but because of the sense of responsibility for Serbia."
"The difficult times demand that we start our work right now," Minic said. Later yesterday, he chaired the first session of the new government.
Kostunica's allies agreed on Minic becoming the new prime minister only as a rare concession to the Socialists. Pro-democracy leader, Nebojsa Covic, was named one of two vice premiers, while Milosevic's former spokesman, Ivica Dacic, was named one of three co-chairmen in charge of the Information Ministry.
Yugoslavia is a federation made up of Serbia and much smaller Montenegro - each with their own elected governments. A new Yugoslav government, without Milosevic's ministers, is expected to be chosen in a week.
