Cypriot seeking soldiers' release heads to Belgrade

Kyprianou boards a plane to Belgrade, Yugoslavia  ALSO The Geneva Conventions: Prisoners of war Airstrikes said to complicate efforts to release U.S. soldiers NATO strikes target Serb ground forces, complicate GI release efforts Yugoslavian borders closed, refugees' fate 'alarming' RELATED VIDEO CNN's Jim Hill, Ed Garsten and Tony Clark check in on the soldiers' hometowns, where family and friends hope for their safe return (April 7) Windows Media 28K 80K

April 8, 1999
Web posted at: 8:49 a.m. EDT (0849 GMT)

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- With NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia in their 16th day, the acting president of Cyprus was flying to Belgrade from Greece on Thursday, hoping to make arrangements for the release of three U.S. soldiers captured by Serb forces.

But Spyros Kyprianou, also speaker of the Cypriot Parliament, was reluctant to say what the outcome would be, indicating he was less certain than he was on Wednesday that his mission would succeed.

While the United States has refused to make any concessions to gain the soldiers' release, Cypriot sources told CNN that the continuing NATO airstrikes could complicate gaining the release of the soldiers. Kyprianou had asked for a 24-hour NATO cease-fire while he pursued his mission.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Ramirez, 24, of Los Angeles; Spc. Steven Gonzales, 21, of Huntsville, Texas; and Staff Sgt. Christopher Stone, 25, of Smiths Creek, Michigan; were captured March 31 near the border of Macedonia and Kosovo.

Macedonia is an independent country that was once part of Yugoslavia. Kosovo is a province in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia.

NATO says the soldiers were noncombat troops under its command and were on a routine border patrol. Belgrade says they were captured on Yugoslav territory.

FULL STORY TO COME

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.