Russians still not invited to monitor elections

BELGRADE, Tuesday -- The Russian Embassy in Belgrade has not received any official invitation from Yugoslavia to send Russian observers to this month's elections. A spokesman at the embassy told SRNA agency that it was possible the invitation had been sent directly to certain politicians in the Duma. The Duma's information service was unable to either confirm or deny that any invitation had arrived.

The OSCE's Kosovo representative, Daan Everts, meanwhile has said that the organisation wanted nothing to do with Yugoslavia's federal elections in the province. Speaking to the BBC he described the elections as being invalid in every possible way. Everts said that the OSCE recognised the rights of Yugoslavia to conduct elections in the province and the right of citizens to vote in them, but said that the way the elections were to be conducted was below any permitted criteria. Asked by the BBC whether this meant that the OSCE would mind its own business if it saw open abuse in the elections, Everts replied that the organisation would not even be aware of what was happening.

Source: B92

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