Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [Where he'll no doubt be feted at a banquet co-organized by the leading capos of Europe's narcotics and sex slave trafficking syndicates and an ever appreciative consortium of Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, Sikorsky, Grumman and Boeing. Hail - or is that heil? - to the chief.] Tuesday August 28, 8:30 PM NATO secretary general to travel to Macedonia Wednesday SKOPJE, Aug 28 (AFP) - NATO Secretary George Robertson will travel to Macedonia on Wednesday to meet the troubled Balkans state's political leaders and alliance troops collecting rebel weapons, NATO's spokesman said Tuesday. Robertson was to arrive in Skopje at about 11:00 am (0900 GMT) and would hold a press briefing at the Krivolak army base, where ethnic Albanian rebel arms are being taken for destruction or transport to Greece, Major Barry Johnson said. NATO hopes to have collected one-third of its target of 3,300 National Liberation Army (NLA) weapons by Friday when the Macedonian parliament meets to debate implementing a wider peace agreement. Johnson said Robertson would "reinforce with the political leaders here NATO's commitment to this process," and reaffirmed the alliance's belief that some 1,100 weapons would be gathered by the end of Wednesday. Parliament has to pass the August 13 framework agreement with a two-thirds majority, but many officials have been highly critical of NATO's arms assessments and have made public figures ranging from 6,000 to 85,000 weapons. A Macedonian diplomatic source said Robertson would meet with President Boris Trajkovski at 2:00 pm, before holding talks with the prime minister and foreign minister, then the leaders of the four main parties in parliament. He will also meet parliamentary speaker Stojan Andov, one of the key figures in getting the agreement ratified, and make an address to the assembly, the source said. Robertson is also visiting to show support for the thousands of soldiers involved in Operation Essential Harvest and see how the mission is progressing on the ground, Johnson said. Some 3,300 NATO troops were reported to have arrived in Macedonia, with at least 100 more expected later on Tuesday. The arms mission is aimed at ending a rebel uprising that began in February, ostensibly for greater ethnic Albanian rights. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
