The war in Yugoslavia produced some of the most appalling carnage of the conflict yesterday - overshadowing frenetic diplomatic activity internationally and political infighting in Belgrade which culminated in the sacking of the Yugoslav deputy prime minister, Mr Vuk Draskovic.
Mr Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations, warned that peace efforts, while gathering pace, were unlikely to produce the desired result quickly.
Noting that a political solution could not be won on the battlefield, Mr Annan said: "Since the beginning of the conflict, we've all been consumed with the tragedy of the Kosovo Albanians. But as the conflict escalates, we see its negative impact spreading . . . The human cost of the violence is unacceptably high."
As if to underline the point, people in the small Serbian town of Surdulica were mourning 20 of their neighbours, killed when a NATO missile, or possibly two, strayed off course and slammed into their residential community beside an empty barracks - the apparent target.
In scenes of appalling destruction and pitiful grief, people searched the debris for any sign that loved ones had survived. The death toll may rise as rubble is cleared.
NATO were "fascists", local people told journalists brought to the scene yesterday by the Yugoslav authorities. The Alliance apologised for the accident. "NATO does not target civilians and any claim to the contrary is totally false," said spokesman Mr Jamie Shea.
And from refugees entering Albania, there emerged evidence of the single worst act to date of the deliberate massacre of civilians. People fleeing "ethnic cleansing" in south-west Kosovo spoke of an incident near Mej in which middle-aged and young men, possibly as many as 200, were separated from their families, herded into a field by Serb policemen and murdered.
A few men escaped detection by hiding under their womenfolk in the wagons. Survivors reached sanctuary in Albania appallingly distressed. If confirmed, the slaughter will rank as the single worst incident of civilian butchery in the war and would constitute a war crime.
Mr Draskovic, the only member of the Milosevic regime to call on it to tell the truth about events in Kosovo, was sacked after two days' public jostling with the government. Apart from urging candour, Mr Draskovic had also said publicly that the government was isolated by world opinion and would have to accept foreign troops in Kosovo.
The Yugoslav information ministry said he had been fired for expressing views "in contradiction with the positions of the federal government". He was joined immediately by his three party colleagues in the 27-member federal government - Information Minister Milan Komnenic, Interior Trade Minister Slobodan Nenadovic and Minister without Portfolio Milan Bozic - who resigned.
However, their departure is unlikely to have any significant impact on Yugoslav government policy, since virtually all power lies with Mr Milosevic and the Serbian government, but it suggests that the regime is not moving towards the sort of compromise with NATO Mr Draskovic was suggesting.
Efforts to find a political solution to the war will quicken today when Mr Annan holds talks in Moscow with the foreign minister, Mr Igor Ivanov, and the Russian envoy on the Balkans, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin.
Yesterday, Mr Annan was briefed in Berlin by Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and his Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer. He also held talks with the US deputy secretary of state, Mr Strobe Talbott. In Moscow, Germany's Defence Minister, Mr Rudolf Scharping, and Greece's Foreign Minister, Mr George Papandreou, held talks with Russian officials.
Joe Carroll reports from Washington: President Clinton will visit American troops in Germany next week and he will also discuss the Kosovo situation with Mr Schroder. Mr Clinton will also meet pilots flying bombing missions and humanitarian missions.
The announcement came as the House of Representatives was debating resolutions about whether to declare war on Yugoslavia or withdraw all US troops from the region. These resolutions from a lone Republican Congressman, Mr Tom Campbell, were defeated but the House did vote to block funding for the deployment of American ground troops unless the President obtains Congressional approval.
President Clinton had earlier told members of Congress he would seek such approval but he was still confident air strikes would be successful without the need for an invasion of Kosovo.
