YUGOSLAVIA: RUSSIAN MILITARY CONVOY ARRIVES IN KOSOVO

(14 Jul 1999) Natural Sound

A Russian convoy of 18 trucks has crossed into Serbia from Bosnia on its way to Kosovo.

The convoy, which made the crossing on Wednesday, will join the K-FOR peacekeeping forces in Kosovo.

Talks between Russian and U-S delegations resolved the issue of Russia's role in Kosovo's peacekeeping forces, but so far only 700 Russian soldiers have arrived in the province.

The convoy of Russian trucks is now making its way to Kosovo, via Serbia.

The soldiers have just finished other peacekeeping duties in Bosnia.

On the sides of the trucks only the letters 'F-O-R' appear after the 'S' in S-FOR was removed - the 'K's have yet to be added.

These Russian troops will be deployed at Pristina airport.

So far, 700 Russian troops have arrived in the province as the part of the K-FOR peacekeeping force.

At the moment, K-FOR is made up of 42-thousand-400 soldiers - 32-thousand-400 in Kosovo and the rest in Macedonia.

The Russians are supposed to be taking up positions in the U-S, French and German sectors.

NATO says it hopes the Russians will make Kosovo's Serb minority feel safer.

But many ethnic Albanians in Kosovo distrust Russian soldiers because of Russia's support for Serbia during the NATO bombing campaign which forced Yugoslavia to accept a peace plan for Kosovo.

NATO Supreme Commander Sir Wesley Clark said that while he is sensitive to ethnic Albanians' concerns about the Russians, they should put aside worries that the Russians will display a pro-Serb bias in their patrols.

He said he wanted everyone to be confident the Russians would follow the same procedures and the same rules of engagement as the other K-FOR troops.

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