TRANSCRIPT OF BACKGROUNDER
GIVEN BY
PETER DANIEL
IN BRUSSELS
ON SATURDAY, 1 MAY 1999

(NOTE: QUESTIONS GENERALLY INAUDIBLE)



PETER DANIEL:
Good morning! As most of you probably know, Jamie is enjoying a day's
vacation and a well-deserved one at that. I'll be here again this
afternoon at 3 o'clock with Colonel Freytag to do the regular briefing.
I'm sorry that I'm a bit late this morning but it takes me a bit longer to
put this together than Jamie who has been doing it every day for about six
weeks.


I talked to General Clark this morning and basically what I'm going to tell
you comes from that conversation.


Two nights ago, we attacked the brains behind the brutality in Belgrade and
yesterday we went after the nervous system that keeps the Milosevic machine
informed and in touch. NATO forces pounded transmission towers and
control buildings of the Yugoslav radio relay network in seven different
locations. The military radio relay network is essential to Milosevic's
ability to direct and control the repressive activities of his army and
special police forces in Kosovo. This radio network is also a key element
in the Yugoslav air-defence network.


In the same period, the forces attacked seven bridges that provide key
lines of communication between the Serb forces on the field in Kosovo and
the rest of the Yugoslav military. Every day, because of this Milosevic
is less and less able to stay in touch with his forces and keep them
supplied. We also attacked the complete range of fielded forces in
Kosovo, including tanks, armoured vehicles, mortar positions and command
posts, we will provide of course more details about this with the locations
at the 3 o'clock briefing this afternoon.


For the second 24-hour period in a row, NATO aircraft flew over 600
sorties. We will continue to keep the pressure on and turn up the pace.


Finally, I want to tell you that all NATO aircraft returned safely to base.


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS


QUESTION:
Where do things stand with the sea embargo negotiation…


PETER DANIEL:
That matter is being discussed still in the Military Committee and when
that discussion is completed, I'll be prepared to address the issue.


QUESTION:
(inaudible)


PETER DANIEL:
We'll have that information this afternoon, Colonel Freytag will have that.


QUESTION:
Anything new on the………….


PETER DANIEL:
As you know, this is one of the avenues that are being explored in order to
try to get humanitarian assistance to the IDPs in Kosovo. Some assistance
is getting to these people through a Greek NGO, there were two convoys this
week, I believe, that crossed into Kosovo but other than that particular
organisation, so far the government in Belgrade has not seen fit to grant
permission to any other non-governmental organisation to have assistance
reach these people.


QUESTION:
(inaudible)


PETER DANIEL:
We have no information on that, we know that there were two convoys that
crossed this week.


QUESTION:
Can you confirm


PETER DANIEL:
I did not say that. I said that we know that two convoys crossed into
Kosovo this week, I think in one were up to a dozen trucks from this Greek
non-governmental organisation. I did not say and I cannot confirm as to
exactly where this material and assistance was rendered and to whom.


QUESTION (BBC):
You said you were ….. the nervous system this time round. Did you
actually attack any targets in and around Belgrade itself and if not, was
there any particular reason for that, for example the visit of Mr.
Chernomyrdin?


PETER DANIEL:
No. There were targets attacked in the Belgrade vicinity and we can give
you details of that at 3 o'clock.


QUESTION:
(inaudible)


PETER DANIEL:
The strikes were all over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and in
particular in Kosovo and there were weather problems, there were
thunderstorms in the Belgrade area and there was low cloud in some regions
of the country.


JAKE LYNCH (SKY NEWS):
What makes NATO suppose that the plans that ….. has for this operation in
Kosovo depend on being co-ordinated……


PETER DANIEL:
First of all, an army lives and breathes, needs fuel, needs food, needs
re-supply, needs munitions if it's expending it and when we talk about the
nervous system it has quite a number of branches to it, it has the
communications branch; there is of course the fuel and the other supplies
and some of these things they have to go over roads, they have to cross
bridges, they have to reach their destinations and these are the sort of
panoply of things that we're hitting which makes it more and more difficult
to keep this as a viable force in the field and he cannot count on
re-supplying these forces as one would suppose in a regular situation;
they are running short, we, I think, told you of reports that we've
received of fuel shortages and other problems that they're having in the
field and also it would be same as you, if you could not communicate back
with your news desk in London, I think you'd be in some degree of
difficulty, you may be able to do without it for a few hours and send your
report out and hope that it gets received but I think after some space of
time you would need to communicate with your command central as it is or
you would be directionless out there or here at NATO as the case is now in
trying to report on this story and knowing what the rest of your
organisation is doing and how you're fitting into the whole effort and
reporting on this story. This is an analogy I'm giving you that I think is
probably transposed into the military area, pretty well what is happening.


QUESTION:
(inaudible)


PETER DANIEL:
I've seen some reports on the incident that you mention but we'll have
further information on that this afternoon. I understand also, according
to the reports I've seen, that there were no injuries in that particular
incident.


QUESTION:
Were the Apaches involved at all in the last 24 hours and do you have
anything to report on the various diplomatic efforts that…..


PETER DANIEL:
As to the Apaches, the answer is a simple "No". On your second question,
as you know, Mr. Chirnomyrdin has left Belgrade and gone back to Moscow and
there are reports that he will be travelling to London and Paris some time
next week. You heard our response along with the response of other
capitals to the so-called 7-point plan put out by the Yugoslavs yesterday
afternoon, that this was not a serious effort, not worthy of consideration
and really doesn't come anywhere near the five conditions that the
international community have set down for a settlement to the conflict.


QUESTION:
You say that you've been attacking television towers…………communication
system of the military…..redundant in Serbia and that they are using
microwave and.…..are you targeting…..


PETER DANIEL:
We are targeting transmission towers that can be used by the military and
that we know are being used by the military to communicate.


QUESTION:
(inaudible)


PETER DANIEL:
Some transmission facilities have dual purpose and where they do have dual
purpose and one of their dualities is the military, then we are attacking
them, yes.


QUESTION:
(inaudible but in FRENCH)


PETER DANIEL:
(REPLY IN FRENCH)


PETER DANIEL:
If there is no-one else, thank you very much. I'll be back at 3 o'clock.



(END OF TRANSCRIPT)