U.S.: Milosevic won't budge

Albright sees no change in Milosevic's position  ALSO: Background Information Pentagon: Day 2 of NATO strikes will be severe RELATED VIDEOS CNN's Andrea Koppel reports on how U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is focusing to keep NATO unified Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN interview Thursday morning with U.S. Senator George Voinovich, who is opposed to the NATO strikes Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K Join CNN's Martin Savidge as cruise missiles are launched Wednesday from the USS Philippine Sea Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Bruce Morton reports on the U.S. stake in Kosovo Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

Berger: Serbs fired artillery into Albania

March 25, 1999
Web posted at: 3:29 p.m. EST (2029 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton warned Thursday that airstrikes will continue if Slobodan Milosevic does not "choose peace," and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the Yugoslav president "knows how to get in touch with us."

Albright said diplomatic channels "remain open" if Milosevic wants to end the attacks. But, she added, "There is no indication that there is any change at all in Milosevic's position."

"It is impossible for us to negotiate while he builds up his forces, attacks civilians and torches villages in Kosovo," Albright said at a news conference at the State Department.

White House National Security Adviser Samuel Berger said that as Serb forces continue their offensive, they have fired artillery shells in neighboring Albania. "It's obviously very disturbing to us," he told reporters at the White House.

Both Albright and Berger spoke after they and other senior Clinton administration international policy advisers briefed the president at the White House.

The airstrikes, involving bombs and air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, were authorized by NATO after Milosevic refused to call off attacks against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo or sign a U.S.-brokered peace deal.

NATO officials in Brussels said allied aircraft "destroyed" three Yugoslav jet fighters and hit 40 targets on the ground throughout Yugoslavia in Wednesday's first wave of bombings, missile firings and air combat.

"I'm very grateful that our crews returned safely after their work last night," Clinton said at the White House just before the briefing.

The president said he believed that NATO ground troops would not be needed to protect the Kosovar Albanians.

"We believe that airstrikes will be sufficient to meet the military objectives," White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said.

Berger says Serb forces have fired on Albania

Clinton said the goal of the United States and its NATO allies "is to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe or a wider war."

"Our objective is to make it clear that Serbia must choose peace or we will limit its ability to make war."

Albright acknowledged that the United States and Russia are in sharp disagreement on the need for force. But, she said, the Clinton administration hopes to convince Moscow "that our differences over Kosovo need not disrupt progress on other fronts."

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.