On the diplomatic front, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Italian premier agreed today to back up a Russian-Finnish diplomatic mission and call for a new U.N. resolution on Kosovo. Schröder, as well as the Italian premier, also urged the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution requiring the withdraw of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo, acceptance of an international peacekeeping force, and the return of the tens of thousands of refugees who fled Kosovo. The Italian premier, Massimo D’Alema said NATO would temporarily halt the bombing campaign, which is nearing the two-month mark, if the U.N. resolution passes. He said, if Belgrade still resisted, then the United Nations would have the authority to send ground troops into Yugoslavia. Schröder flatly ruled out the possibility of sending in ground troops if Yugoslavia remains defiant. The German chancellor said, “We can’t even consider it.”