Thursday, April 8, 1999 Published at 14:17 GMT 15:17 UK
PoW releases mired in doubt
Captive: Yugoslavia has threatened to put the men on trial
Confusion surrounds a mission which could see the release of the three US soldiers being held by Yugoslavia after a Belgrade political official said the country was not aware of a plan to bring the men home via Cyprus.
Spyros Kyprianou was expected to arrived in Belgrade at 1350 GMT and then depart with the soldiers at 1700 GMT, according to US officials.
Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said airspace had been "deconflicted" by allied forces to allow the flight through.
Earlier, the Cypriot president said that Yugoslavia expected Nato bombing to ease if it turns over the detained Americans.
"It is only too evident that Yugoslavia has been upset by last night's heavy bombing," said the envoy before his departure from Athens.
"While the Americans could be released over the Orthodox Easter, Nato could reciprocate by responding to international appeals for a temporary ceasefire," said Mr Kyprianou.
One of his aides went further, saying the Serbs were demanding a full ceasefire.
Mr Kyprianou announced on Wednesday that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic had offered to hand the three men over to him.
Yugoslav government officials later played down expectations, saying they welcomed the offer of the Greek Cypriots to mediate, but added that it was too early to speak about the release of the soldiers.
There has been no word of the US soldiers since a statement from military authorities in Pristina that they could be charged with criminal offences, including espionage.
Threats of trial
The threee servicemen were captured on 1 April.
Yugoslavia says the men could face charges relating to spying.
But Nato says the men were on a non-combat patrol on the Macedonia-Kosovo border and has demanded they be treated as prisoners of war under the terms of the Geneva Convention.
The force has patrolled the borders of Macedonia and Yugoslavia since the Bosnian war in 1993.
The Yugoslav Government said the men were captured on Serbian soil; US officials say it is unclear where the soldiers were caught.