Kosovo Deadline Extended 　　Clinton Rejects Yeltsin's Demand 　　The six-nation Contact Group has given Yugoslavia and ethnic Albanians three more days to reach a peace deal on Kosovo. 　　French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine announced on Saturday that the deadline for a Kosovo peace accord has been extended until 2pm next Tuesday, Greenwich Meantime. 　　Vedrine said the decision was made because the two sides had made very substantial progress in the Rambouillet talks. 　　The Serb and ethnic Albanian negotiators failed to agree on the peace plan drafted by the Contact Group by the original deadline Saturday noon. While the ethnic Albanians remain steadfast to its request for a referendum in Kosovo on its autonomy, Belgrade strongly objects a NATO military presence within its sovereign territory. 　　The United States Saturday refused the Russian request not to use force against Yugoslavia. 　　In his letter to Russia President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. President Bill Clinton stressed the importance of reaching an agreement over the Kosovo issue. 　　He said he appreciated Russia's constructive role in the Kosovo peace talks, but adding that NATO has been prepared for military actions against Yugoslavia. 　　On Saturday, Russian Chief of General Staff, Anatoli Kvashinin, told the press that Moscow will take counter actions if NATO unilaterally uses force against Yugoslavia, including quitting the Russia-NATO treaty. WorldNews 1999-02-22 Page3 Full Story in Chinese