[Newspoetry] "The Train Has Left the Station"

[Mike Lehman]

                                  Yugoslavia Declares NATO War
                                  Threat Over Kosovo
                                  (Last updated 3:37 PM ET March 23)


                                  BELGRADE (Reuters) - The Yugoslav
                                  government declared a "state of
immediate
                                  threat of war" Tuesday night, with
NATO
                                  poised to bomb the country over its
refusal to
                                  accept a peace plan for Kosovo.

                                  Yugoslav Prime Minister Momir
Bulatovic,
                                  right-hand man of President Slobodan
                                  Milosevic, read out the declaration on
state
                                  television. Milosevic rebuffed a
last-ditch
                                  peace mission by U.S. envoy Richard
                                  Holbrooke hours beforehand.

                                  "On the basis of the constitution of
the
                                  Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and
after
                                  taking into account the opinions of
the
                                  president of the FRY and the speaker
of the Yugoslav parliament,
                                  the federal government adopted a
decision to declare a state of
                                  immediate threat of war, given that
there exists a threat of an
                                  aggression on the FRY," Bulatovic
said, reading a statement.

                                  "The decision is effective
immediately."

                                  Serbian independent media said civil
air defense units were already
                                  preparing air-raid shelters and
bunkers for possible NATO air
                                  strikes.

                                  The U.S. government warned Belgrade
that planned air raids on
                                  military targets would be swift,
severe and painful. U.S. officials
                                  would not say when bombing might
occur, but one said the "train
                                  had pretty much left the station"
toward action.


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Limited.