Serbian Parliament Accepts Peace Plan

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Serbia's parliament on Thursday accepted the European plan to end the air war in Yugoslavia, raising hopes that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic will soon follow suit.

The vote comes after 72 days of bombardment by NATO air forces aimed at forcing Milosevic to accept a peace plan for the Serbian province of Kosovo. The plan includes an international security presence to ensure the safe return of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanian refugees and a troop withdrawal in Kosovo, where NATO says the Yugoslav army has carried out a campaign of repression against civilians.

The ultimate decision rests with Milosevic, but observers in Belgrade say the parliamentary vote makes it easier for Milosevic to publicly accept the plan.

No vote total was immediately available from the Serbian parliament, but the debate was reportedly contentious. In Belgrade, CNN's Walter Rodgers reported delegates came close to fistfights at some points.

On March 23, the parliament rejected NATO's peace formula for Kosovo, and the alliance began its military action the next day. NATO officials said they are awaiting an assessment of the Yugoslav action before announcing what steps they will take.

NATO is expected to suspend -- but not permanently halt -- the bombing only if there is evidence that Serb troops are being withdrawn from Kosovo.

Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and Russian envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin were in Belgrade on Thursday in an attempt to persuade Milosevic to accept the peace plan and end the conflict.

Their meeting included the first direct talks by a Western diplomat with Milosevic since the NATO bombings began. The talks lasted about 90 minutes, with Ahtisaari leaving first and Chernomyrdin staying behind for further discussions.

As Yugoslav leaders deliberated, there were no immediate reports of NATO strikes around Belgrade. But scattered bombing in other parts of Yugoslavia was reported overnight.