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Pentagon account of final radio transmissions of the three soldiers captured by Yugoslav forces: Wednesday: UNIT #1: "We are under fire." UNIT #2: "You're not bullshitting us, are you?" UNIT #1: "No, we are under fire. We are surrounded." End of transmission RELATED VIDEO CNN's Brent Sadler reports Belgrade says the captured U.S. servicemen are not prisoners of war-- April 1. Windows Media 28K 80K At the daily morning NATO news conference April 1, Supreme Commander Wesley Clark commented on the capture of 3 U.S. soldiers Windows Media 28K 80K Watch the April 1 Serbian TV announcement of the capture of three U.S. soldiers Windows Media 28K 80K 2.8 M / 30 sec. / 240x180 QuickTime movie Please enable Javascript To view the latest video streams on the strikes in Yugoslavia, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery. Real Windows Media 28 K 80 K IMAGE GALLERY: In defense of hallowed ground: The Serbs and Kosovo  ALSO: Kosovo exodus reminiscent of WWII Milosevic meeting with ethnic Albanian leader draws rebel outrage Clinton: 'No basis' for Serbs to hold 3 U.S. soldiers  NATO Maps April 1 NATO says it's doing 'right thing' in Yugoslavia March 21 NATO military targets Ethnic Cleansing

April 2, 1999
Web posted at: 5:54 a.m. EST (1054 GMT)

In this story: Pentagon: Geneva Conventions cover all hostilities Bombing to continue Holbrooke calls Milosevic 'formidable adversary' NATO committed to stopping 'criminal war machine' Bridge destroyed in Novi Sad Church leaders address crisis RELATED STORIES, SITES

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- Yugoslav officials said they will begin military court proceedings Friday for three captured U.S. soldiers, despite Washington's demands for their release.

Belgrade said they were "captured on Serb territory" and "resisted arrest."

The Pentagon said the soldiers were on a routine reconnaissance mission in Macedonia near the Yugoslav border Wednesday when they reported coming under fire and said they were surrounded. British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook called their capture a "snatch" operation by Yugoslav forces.

NATO leaders expressed concern about the safety of the three captive U.S. soldiers shown on Serbian television earlier in the day.

"We've seen their pictures, and we don't like it. We don't like the way they are treated. We have a long memory about these kinds of things," said NATO's supreme allied commander, Gen. Wesley Clark.

He said NATO will hold Serbian authorities accountable for the soldiers' treatment and is investigating where the soldiers were captured.

U.S. President Bill Clinton on Thursday repeated NATO's position and said the United States, too, will hold Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic responsible for the safety of the three American soldiers.

"President Milosevic should make no mistake," Clinton said. "We will hold him and his government responsible for their safety and for their well-being."

Pentagon: Geneva Conventions cover all hostilities

The Pentagon said the captive U.S. soldiers are prisoners of war and therefore should be covered by the protections of the Geneva Conventions.

But the Pentagon spokesman denied that claiming prisoner-of-war status for the U.S. soldiers meant the United States acknowledged it was at war with Yugoslavia.

"By international law, the Geneva Convention applies to all periods of hostilities," Ken Bacon said Thursday.

He said the three soldiers had been armed with M-16 rifles, but it was not clear whether they had fired any rounds when they came under fire.

The Pentagon is trying to determine exactly where along the Macedonia/Yugoslavia border the three men were surrounded and captured.

Bacon said the soldiers were part of a three-Humvee patrol.

Bombing to continue

The Pentagon said the fate of the captured soldiers had not stopped planned bombing runs; Bacon said bad weather had more effect.

"We did attack a Yugoslav army unit in central Kosovo that's been involved in some of the ethnic cleansing activities," he said. "We also attacked a major ammunition dump in Kosovo."

Bacon also announced that 13 additional F-117A stealth fighters will soon leave Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, and fly to Italy to participate in NATO's Operation Allied Force. One is to replace the warplane downed last week.

"That will bring our total of stealth fighters up to 24 in the theater, and our total number of aircraft up to about 220," Bacon said.

He also said A-10s -- awkward-looking planes dubbed "wart hogs" and "tank killers" -- were being flown but did not know if they had fired weapons yet.

Meanwhile, the senior U.S. envoy who had spearheaded efforts to get Milosevic to sign onto a Kosovo peace deal said Thursday the Yugoslav president was "a formidable adversary" who chose bombings over diplomacy.

Richard Holbrooke, appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live," said NATO made the right choice by implementing Operation Allied Force after months of intense negotiations fell through.

"This tragedy in Kosovo has been a noble undertaking," Holbrooke said. "Many foreigners, many Americans have said to me, 'Why is the United States bothering?' The answer is because we could make a difference and tried to make a difference."

Over the years, Holbrooke has traveled to Belgrade on more than 30 occasions for diplomatic talks with the Yugoslav leadership. He met with Milosevic in eleventh-hour negotiations last week on the Rambouillet peace proposal, but he failed to get the Yugoslav leader to sign on -- even after he made clear NATO would begin its bombing campaign.

"Diplomacy has been set aside ... because given a clear choice, the Yugoslav leadership chose a course knowing that it would go on to this situation," he said.

Asked what it was like to deal head-on with Milosevic, the envoy said, "He's always been tough to deal with. He's a formidable adversary, and negotiating with him is not a lot of fun. I've done it for a long time."

"We have achieved things in that process many times, most notably peace in Bosnia with no Americans injured or wounded."

Holbrooke also urged Yugoslav authorities to abide by international laws set forth in the Geneva Conventions, a series of international treaties signed in Switzerland between 1864 and 1949.

Asked on "Larry King Live" if Yugoslav authorities should release the three as a gesture of goodwill, Holbrooke said, "I think that's a good idea, Larry. I know that your program is watched carefully in Belgrade, probably the most watched program available to the leadership in Belgrade, and I hope they hear your suggestion and respond positively to it."

NATO committed to stopping 'criminal war machine'

NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said NATO remains committed to stopping Milosevic's "criminal war machine" in Kosovo.

"It is the right thing to do, and it is our duty to do whatever we can to stop the killings in Kosovo," he said during a NATO news conference in Brussels.

"After one week of NATO air operations, I am confident that we are having an impact on Belgrade's war machine," he added.

Clark said that in the past eight days of strikes, NATO significantly damaged Yugoslavia's military air defense systems, command and control centers, and field forces arrayed against ethnic Albanians. He referred to the targets as "instruments of oppression."

He said NATO attacks on Serb military targets will continue unabated, "step by step, day by day, with precision and a great deal of attention to avoid civilian casualties."

Meanwhile, CNN has confirmed that a Russian spy ship left the Sevastopol, Ukraine, Black Sea port on Friday morning destined for the Adriatic. CNN Correspondent Steve Harrigan said that it will take three or four days for the ship to reach the Adriatic and that six other ships could be deployed to the region.

The Russian Defense Ministry had said it was preparing for the deployment of seven warships to the Mediterranean for what Moscow said would be "exercises," but stressed it will not become involved in the conflict militarily.

Bridge destroyed in Novi Sad

The Pentagon acknowledged NATO planes struck one of two vital bridges in Novi Sad, the second-largest city in Yugoslavia, about 50 miles north of Belgrade.

"It is part of a plan to make force mobility more difficult, to interdict the flow of supplies and of forces," Bacon said.

Serbian state television aired pictures Thursday that it said showed remnants of the destroyed Danube River bridge, which connected two parts of the city.

The television report said the attack badly damaged the city's water system.

Serbian media also reported that NATO bombed the town of Uzice in western Serbia and the village of Gnijlane in Kosovo.

The Yugoslav news agency Tanjug said 10 NATO missiles had struck targets around Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, on Wednesday night.

Church leaders address crisis

NATO, the U.S. and Yugoslavia have also come under pressure from Christian leaders urging the resumption of peace talks as their congregations begin Easter observances.

Eight U.S. Catholic cardinals, in joint letters to U.S. President Clinton and Yugoslav President Milosevic, urged a cessation of hostilities, while the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops outlined steps to end "the unfolding human tragedy in the Balkans."

At the same time, five Serbian Orthodox bishops who preside over the North American branch of the Serbian Orthodox Church called on Clinton and other NATO leaders to stop aerial bombing in Yugoslavia during the Easter season.

The Western Christian church will observe Good Friday and Easter Sunday on April 4. The Orthodox church, to which most Serbs belong, celebrates Easter a week later.

NATO leaders have opposed the idea of calling off military operations in observance of Easter, saying it would provide Milosevic too great an opportunity to commit unchecked violence.

A representative of Pope John Paul II traveled to Yugoslavia Thursday to personally deliver a papal plea for peace to Milosevic.

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