KOSOVO: KAMENICA: ARRIVAL OF RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS

(10 Jul 1999) English/Nat

Russian peacekeepers have arrived in eastern Kosovo for their first deployment as part of international peace keeping force in the war-torn province.

The contingent arrived from Pristina where Russia has been flying in more troops throughout the day.

The Russians will at first be operating in a sector controlled by the U-S forces.

NATO has refused to give the Russians their own sector fearing further ethnic division.

Albanians have vowed to leave areas in which the Russians are deployed, fearing bias towards the Serbs.

The first Russian peacekeepers to be deployed in Kosovo's towns left Pristina airport on Saturday.

The Russian troops had started to arrive in significant numbers earlier on Saturday.

In June a contingent of two-hundred paratroopers caused NATO great diplomatic discomfort by taking over the Pristina airport before the alliance's troops arrived.

The Russians said the troops would have arrived earlier if it hadn't been held up by disagreements with NATO.

NATO refused to give the Russians their own sector - saying it would cause an influx of Kosovo Serbs into that area causing even more partition in the province.

Russia agreed to send troops to operate in peacekeeping sectors run by German, French and American troops.

The contingent will operate from the small eastern town of Kamenica.

They will be setting up a base in a damaged factory on the outskirts of the town.

The factory had previously formed part of the U-S army headquarters in the area.

Deployment of Russian troops in Kosovo has been met by dissent from ethnic Albanians who believe the troops will favour Serbs - Moscow's traditional Slavic allies in the region.

One Russian commander tried to quell the concerns saying the troops would do their part as peacekeepers and help both sides alike.

KFOR will be closely monitoring their deployment.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Today some Russian elements deployed from Pristina airport to the American controlled sector in Kosovska Kamenica, which is the eastern part of the American sector. These are advanced batallion elements which will begin the immigration training and reconnaissance required for them to identify precise locations where they will set up their camps, conduct their patrol and set up their roadblocks"
SUPER CAPTION: Luis Garmeau, Lieutenant Commander of the Canadian Navy

More Russian troops are expected to arrive in the next few weeks after some five Russian ships loaded with five hundred vehicles and two thousand personnel arrive in Greece.

The Russian contingent in KFOR is eventually expected to number three thousand six hundred troops.

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