From: "mart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [NATO's victory, Yugoslavia's shame.] First NATO-led Troops Pass Through Yugoslavia's Territory BELGRADE, Sep 10, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) NATO-led peacekeeping forces have begun transferring troops to Kosovo across Yugoslav territory for the first time, the Yugoslav army said Sunday. It said part of the Russian, Slovakian, Ukrainian, Turkish and Finnish peacekeeping contingents have so far passed through Yugoslavia under a "detailed plan" worked out by the Yugoslav defense ministry for the transfer of foreign convoys. "Troops, equipment and weaponry are transported separately and they are allowed to stop only along the road," the army said in statement on its official web site. It gave no further details. Last month the Yugoslav government said for the first time it would allow NATO-led forces in the Balkans to use its territory to move equipment and troops. The government said at the time it "will thoroughly examine each request and decide" on a case-by-case basis whether to allow troops and materiel to transit Yugoslav territory on their way to the southern province of Kosovo and to "other operations" in neighboring countries. The statement did not name the countries but NATO is leading missions in Bosnia and Macedonia. Under the former regime of Slobodan Milosevic, who was ousted last October, movements of foreign troops anywhere on Yugoslav territory were prohibited, except for Kosovo where a NATO-led force was deployed in June 1999. After Milosevic was ousted by reformist forces backing current Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, Belgrade has slowly moved towards more cooperation with international officials in Kosovo, which is under UN administration. ((c) 2001 Agence France Presse) _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
