CBS Evening News open - 1999-05-03

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:03] In Belgrade and much of Yugoslavia,

[0:05] lights out as NATO hits a major power

[0:07] plant. In Washington, what's being

[0:09] called the first serious initiative for

[0:11] peace. In Germany, the freed US soldiers

[0:14] come out to wave. And in Colorado,

[0:17] Coline High School students return to

[0:19] class.

[0:24] This is the CBS Evening News

[0:28] with Dan Rather reporting tonight from

[0:30] Belgrade.

[0:33] Good evening. Tension and fear on the

[0:35] rise here. NATO has hit a major power

[0:37] plant that blacked out Belgrade and in a

[0:40] large portion of Yugoslavia for the

[0:42] first time. Electricity has been cut off

[0:44] for long periods. Water supplies and

[0:46] telephone service interrupted. There is

[0:48] no perceptible panic. As you can see,

[0:51] the Serbs in many ways are going about

[0:53] life rather normally, but the fear

[0:55] factor has risen. There's an

[0:58] undercurrent of it in the streets and

[0:59] among the citizenry. Large numbers of

[1:02] government officials are believed to

[1:04] have left the city as a precaution

[1:05] during the night. So, if Sloban Mallich

[1:08] believed that he would get some reward

[1:10] for his release of the captured US

[1:12] soldiers, so far he isn't getting it.

[1:15] Many diplomats and others here believe

[1:17] that Malloich is clearly beginning to

[1:19] feel increased pressure from the

[1:21] intensified air attacks and is now

[1:23] signaling that he may be ready to deal.

[1:25] But deal what is the question. Russia's

[1:28] special envoy Victor Sheridan is in

[1:32] Washington today with a message about

[1:33] that from Malloich to President Clinton.

[1:36] More about that later, but first with

[1:39] news of the released US servicemen. We

[1:42] go to Germany and CBS News correspondent

[1:44] Mark Phillips.

[1:46] The three former prisoners and their

[1:48] families haven't made any public

[1:49] statements here, but there was a lot of

[1:51] body language in their only public

[1:53] appearance together so far. A father,

[1:55] Chris Stone, holding his son. A son,

[1:58] Andrew Ramirez, being held by his

[2:00] mother. Their condition not bad

[2:03] considering. But Sergeant Stone is still

[2:05] showing the signs of rough treatment for

[2:07] good reason. The Serbs had broken his

[2:10] nose.

[2:10] >> The X-ray did show uh that he had a

[2:13] fracture of his nasal bone. Um it was

[2:17] minimally displaced fracture.

[2:20] >> The injuries were obvious in the Serb TV

[2:22] images at the time of their capture. But

[2:24] their commander says the mistreatment

[2:27] didn't stop there.

[2:28] >> Anytime you're in captivity, I'm sure

[2:29] there's some duress. uh and uh I believe

[2:32] that happened up front during their

[2:34] captivity

[2:35] >> at the time of their capture or in the

[2:36] early stages as well.

[2:37] >> Early stages of their captivity.

[2:39] >> So even beyond the point where they were

[2:40] picked up, they were still mistreated if

[2:42] if the signs

[2:42] >> I believe somewhat. Yes.

[2:43] >> Yeah.

[2:44] >> However treated, the freeing of the

[2:46] Americans may be good news for two

[2:48] captured Serb soldiers who senior

[2:50] Pentagon officials say will probably now

[2:52] be released as well. The Serb and the

[2:55] American soldiers have become pawns in a

[2:57] game.

[2:58] >> How they're used, I don't know. I mean,

[3:00] uh, probably used somewhat, but, uh,

[3:03] >> by him, by Malloich,

[3:05] >> by, uh, by Malloich, maybe so. But our

[3:08] concern again was getting our soldiers

[3:10] back, their safety. Unwittingly, the

[3:12] three now freed servicemen have become

[3:14] weapons in Slobora Mallovich's

[3:16] propaganda war. Their capture was a

[3:18] severe embarrassment to the military,

[3:20] and their release, another opportunity

[3:22] for Mallovich to score points.

[3:25] The army has claimed back three of their

[3:27] own, but only because their adversary

[3:30] decided there was more to be gained from

[3:32] letting them go than from keeping them.

[3:34] Mark Phillips, CBS News, Ldul, Germany.

[3:38] Now, for more about NATO's power plant

[3:40] bombing strategy, we go to CBS News

[3:42] correspondent John Roberts, who's also

[3:45] here in the country.

[3:47] Belgrade was struggling to get back in

[3:49] service today after NATO took the

[3:51] campaign to a new level for the first

[3:53] time targeting the electrical grade with

[3:55] what are called soft bombs which release

[3:58] carbon filaments that short circuit but

[4:00] don't destroy power plants.

[4:02] >> NATO has its finger on the light switch

[4:05] in Yugoslavia now and we can turn the

[4:08] power off whenever we need to and

[4:11] whenever we want to. What NATO would

[4:14] probably prefer to turn off is another

[4:16] round of bad publicity. The Yugoslav

[4:18] army claims Allied bombers hit a

[4:20] civilian bus in three cars while

[4:22] targeting an army checkpoint on a road

[4:25] in northwest Kosovo, killing at least 17

[4:27] People.