The first NATO forces to enter Kosovo have been told they will not be advancing into the province until dawn at the earliest. The British troops passed the afternoon at the Kosovo/Macedonian border, waiting for orders to proceed. Earlier, about 100 Russian troops from the NATO-led peacekeeping force entered Yugoslavia from Bosnia in a column of vehicles. It is reported that they are heading for Kosovo.
The American Deputy Secretary of State, Strobe Talbott, made his plane return to Moscow mid-flight to discuss the role of Russian troops in the Kosovo peace force. Russia has assured the United States that its troops would not enter Kosovo unilaterally. The armoured column of Russian peacekeeping troops includes dozens of heavily armed armoured personnel carriers. The vehicles are flying the Russian red-white-and-blue flag and most are carrying the "KFOR" insignia of the international Kosovo peacekeeping force.
They are the first foreign troops to arrive in Yugoslavia since the adoption of the international peace deal on Kosovo. Several hundred Russian paratroops are reported to be on stand-by in Moscow waiting to be flown to Kosovo. Earlier, President Yeltsin claimed diplomatic victory for Russia, in helping to end the war in Yugoslavia. Moscow appears to be on a collision course with NATO in its insistence on control over Serb-populated parts of Kosovo. Talks in Moscow aimed at incorporating Russians into a NATO-led force are deadlocked. Russia has said that it may arrange directly with Belgrade to run a sector of its own in Kosovo if NATO refuses to grant it.
Meanwhile, NATO has denied any delay in the deployment of its peacekeeping forces, in Kosovo. This morning, the alliance said soldiers would start entering the province within 24 hours, as Serb forces continue their withdrawal. It had been reported that some of the countries contributing troops had asked for more time, to get them into position. British and French soldiers are expected to be the first to go into Kosovo. They may enter later today, to secure high ground on the road from Macedonia to the Kosovo capital, Pristina. Reports from the region indicate that only about half of the 50,000 strong peace keeping force is currently in place.
It has been reported that Serb forces are setting houses alight as they withdraw from southern Kosovo. There is concern that the development could put the Kosovo Liberation Army cease-fire at risk. Once the peace implementation force is in Kosovo, humanitarian agencies will follow. Speaking on RTÉ radio this morning, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Mary Robinson, said a key task will be to build up a civil society and work for reconciliation across Serbia.
In the US, President Bill Clinton declared victory in NATO's air war against Yugoslavia, but warned of the danger of the approaching peacekeeping mission. In a television address, the President also said that Washington will provide no help for reconstruction in Serbia while Slobodan Milosevic remains in power.
