Yugoslav leaders said Monday their armed forces would make a partial troop withdrawal from Kosovo RELATED VIDEO CNN's Brent Sadler looks at the prospect of Yugoslav forces pulling back (May 11) Windows Media 28K 80K Yugoslavia allowed CNN's Alessio Vinci to tour a town where they say civilians were killed in a NATO attack on a hidden tank facility (May 11) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K A holiday camp in Montenegro is now a refugee camp. CNN's Mike Hanna takes a tour. (May 11) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Amanda Kibel reports on the investigation in Yugoslavia by the War Crimes Tribunal. (May 11) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K Chinese have stopped large protests against the U.S. in Beijing. CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon is there. (May 11) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K To view the latest video streams on the strikes in Kosovo, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery.        Windows Media Real        28 K 80 K IMAGE GALLERY To the corners of the world: The flight of Kosovo's refugees  ALSO: China wants more answers on embassy bombing  THE DELUGE OF REFUGEES: Where are they going?  MESSAGE BOARD: China tomorrow Crisis in Kosovo  MAPS: NATO officials describe the air campaign  IN-DEPTH SPECIAL: NATO at 50 Strike on Yugoslavia

May 11, 1999
Web posted at: 8:22 p.m. EDT (0022 GMT)

In this story: Two civilians reported dead in bomb attack RELATED STORIES, SITES

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- NATO officials said Tuesday there have been no signs of a pullout of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo since the Yugoslav government announced the withdrawal on Monday.

"Last night, (Yugoslav) President (Slobodan) Milosevic made what he called a peace offer. He said he was starting to withdraw his troops from Kosovo," British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said at a daily briefing.

"I have to report to you that as of this morning, there is no evidence of troops withdrawing from Kosovo. Indeed, the reports we have suggest that the fighting continues," Cook said.

Cook called the announcement that Yugoslav troops had begun to leave Kosovo on Sunday night "another cynical gambit" by Milosevic, who is "once again responding to military and diplomatic pressure."

"If Milosevic is pulling them out, there will be plenty of dust on the track," NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said. "We'll know it when we see it."

Shea also said NATO sees no evidence that hostilities between Yugoslav forces and Kosovo Liberation Army rebels, who seek independence for the Serbian province, have ceased. Yugoslavia contended that such a cessation was behind its announced troop withdrawal.

"The Yugoslav army and special police seem to be trying harder than ever to capture the remaining Kosovo Liberation Army strongholds and secure their lines of communication," Shea said.

NATO insists that its bombing of Yugoslavia will continue until it can assure the safe return of ethnic Albanian refugees who have fled their homes by the hundreds of thousands. The alliance has demanded a complete withdrawal of Yugoslav forces.

However, on Tuesday, Cook left open the possibility of allowing a "token" Serb presence in Kosovo, protected by an international force with NATO at its core.

"Perhaps at the end of the day, we might not exclude some symbolism," he said, "(but we) are not going to agree to an outcome that leaves behind forces that can ... repress the local people."

Two civilians reported dead in bomb attack

Meanwhile, NATO's Operation Allied Force bombed Yugoslavia for the 49th day on Tuesday, with improved weather conditions allowing intensified operations overnight.

"We hit Serb forces in Kosovo hard and with good success," said Maj. Gen. Walter Jertz, NATO's military spokesman. "Serb forces have proven particularly adept at using tunnels, natural camouflage, and buildings and villages, to make it very difficult to locate and attack them from the air. Yesterday one of our attacks against a major tunnel complex near Pristina was particularly effective."

For the first time since NATO bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade last week, NATO planes hit targets near the Yugoslav capital.

Yugoslav national TV reported that the city of Nis also came under attack Tuesday, and the main northbound highway toward Belgrade was damaged near Velika Plana. NATO planes also damaged a railway bridge toward Macedonia, it said.

The village of Staro Gradsko near Pristina was attacked with four missiles, said Belgrade TV, which reported that the bombs exploded in "exclusively civilian areas." Two people died in the attack, the report said.

In other developments: