KOSOVO: RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE ARRIVES

Eng/Russ/Nat
A Russian jet carrying paratroopers and airport technicians touched down at Pristina's airport on Saturday, the first airplane to land in Kosovo since NATO began its peacekeeping mission two weeks ago.
It was followed moments later by a French transport carrying equipment to help make the airport fully operational.
The 21 Russian paratroopers and 18 technicians will join about 200 Russian troops who seized the airport on June 12 after travelling overland from Bosnia.
A Russian transport plane touches down at Pristina airport.
It's a sign that Russia and NATO are getting over their rivalries and are beginning to work together in Kosovo.
Moments later a French plane landed at its side.
British General Mike Jackson, the NATO commander in Kosovo, was joined by his Russian counterpart Anatoly Zavarzin to welcome the new arrivals.
Russia plans to send about 3,600 peacekeepers to Kosovo to serve alongside a NATO-led force that will eventually include 55-thousand troops.
The Russians will join a peacekeeping mission that so far has been unable to curb unrest sweeping the province.
Ethnic Albanians have been seeking revenge for atrocities committed by Serb-led Yugoslav forces since President Slobodan Milosevic cracked down on Kosovo separatists in February 1998.
Russia, a traditional ally of Serbia, had demanded its own zone of control within Kosovo.
That was firmly rejected by NATO, which worried it would lead to a partition of the province.
Instead, a compromise was reached in which the Russians will be deployed in separate zones within three areas assigned to U-S, German and French peacekeepers.
Jackson said the Russian troops were valued reinforcements and he looked forward to more flights into Pristina.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I believe this marks two things. Firstly the advance party of the Russian contingent and I am very keen to get every soldier I can at the moment. Secondly, and very importantly, the arrival of these aircraft this morning allow us to bring the process of bringing Pristina airfield into full use both for K-FOR and I hope in due course for humanitarian flights and indeed let us hope for commercial flights before too long."
SUPER CAPTION: Lieutenant-General Mike Jackson, Commander of NATO forces in Kosovo
Though the Russian defence ministry has been insisting Russian troops will take their orders only from Moscow, Zavarzin insisted that NATO would enjoy full cooperation from his men.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian with English translation)
"We will work in close coordination with NATO in order to fulfill our joint mission. Apart from that, you will be aware that yesterday the political decision makers in Russia took their decision to verify the peacekeeping contingent here from Russia in K-FOR in Kosovo. The most competent generals, officers and soldiers will be selected for this task in order that they can in a professional manner fulfill the tasks that are given to them."
SUPER CAPTION: Colonel-General Anatoly Zavarzin, commander of Russian troops in Kosovo
The planes that arrived on Saturday are the first of 12 flights - six Russian and six NATO - expected at Pristina's Slatina Airport over the next ten days.
The transports will bring technicians and equipment to make the airport fully operational for flights to ferry in humanitarian supplies and peacekeeping troops.
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