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BELGRADE, Sep 6, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) Russia's deputy foreign minister arrived in Belgrade Sunday for a three-day visit to discuss the situation in Kosovo and Russian relations with Yugoslavia, Serbian state television reported.
Alexander Avdeyev arrived accompanied by Ambassador Boris Mayorsky, one of three negotiators in Kosovo peace talks held in France in February.
This is the first visit by a representative of the Russian government since the deployment of the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) in mid-June.
They will meet with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic on Monday, the report said.
The talks will focus on "the situation in Kosovo since the deployment of an international civil and security presence under the aegis of the United Nations," a statement by the Yugoslav foreign ministry said Saturday.
Diplomatic sources said that the Russian delegation will also hold talks with leaders of the Serbian opposition parties.
Belgrade authorities and Serbian opposition parties have accused KFOR of siding with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and argue it does little to protect the Serb minority population in the province.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said on Wednesday that the situation in Kosovo was as "alarming" as it had been before the NATO air strikes.
The situation is especially tense in the southern town of Orahovac, where the ethnic Albanian population has been blocking the main road since August 23, preventing a Russian KFOR battalion from replacing Dutch troops.
The Kosovar Albanians accuse the Russians of wanting to protect only the town's 2,000 Serbs, and claim that Russian mercenaries have joined Serbian bandits in the region to commit atrocities.