-Caveat Lector- Russia Accuses US of 'Provocation' By MITCHELL LANDSBERG .c The Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) - In the latest sign of frayed relations between Russia and the West, Russian troops were forced to delay their departure for Kosovo on Sunday after NATO blocked air corridors on their route. Infuriated Russian defense officials said the reasoning behind the move amounted to a U.S. ``provocation.'' A NATO delegation arrived in the Russian capital to hold talks on the impasse, and the Interfax news agency reported that intense discussions were under way to resolve the dispute. The billowing controversy came the same day that American and Russian officials acknowledged that a U.S. military attache had been expelled from Moscow after being declared persona non grata. No reason was given for the expulsion of Lt. Col. Peter Hoffman, but the timing raised questions about whether it was related to the Kosovo-induced chill. According to the ITAR-Tass news agency, two Ilyushin-76 military cargo planes were scheduled to fly about 100 paratroopers to Kosovo on Sunday, but the flights were put on standby when they couldn't get permission to fly over Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. NATO said it would block the peacekeepers' flights until disagreements over the Russian role in Kosovo were resolved. Russia reportedly wants to change an agreement reached in lengthy negotiations last month at Helsinki, Finland, that outlined Russian participation in a NATO-led peacekeeping force. Under terms of the agreement, Russian troops in Kosovo are to be based in sectors commanded by French, German and American generals instead of controlling a sector of their own, as Moscow had wanted. NATO officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saturday that Russia now wanted the right to expand its role so that it could send its troops into additional sectors of Kosovo controlled by other NATO countries. Moscow also wants more control over its own forces in Kosovo. Russian defense officials were described as stunned by NATO's decision to block the flights, and said the assertion that Russia's role remained unsettled amounted to ``a provocation by the United States,'' the Interfax news agency reported. ``All details of the location of Russian peacekeepers in Kosovo were documented during the talks held by the defense and foreign ministers in Helsinki,'' a Defense Ministry representative told Interfax. The dispute comes against a backdrop of generally edgy relations. Russia has been resentful of NATO's eastern expansion, and strongly opposed the alliance's recent bombing campaign against Yugoslavia. And while Russia played a key role in negotiating a peace agreement in Yugoslavia, its relations with NATO since then have been characterized by mutual mistrust and sharp disagreements. Although Sunday's flights were blocked, Russia is already sending other peacekeepers by land and sea. A train carrying 144 Russian servicemen and 13 armored personnel carriers left the western city of Tula on Friday and was bound for the Black Sea port of Tuapse, from where the force will proceed to Kosovo by sea. They are expected to reach their position in the Yugoslav province July 16. Another group of soldiers, from the Northern Caucasus military district, will depart from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk aboard four ships on July 10, Interfax said. Russia already has a contingent of about 700 paratroopers and technicians based at the Slatina airport. The Russian contingent in Kosovo is expected to reach 3,600 when the deployment is completed. Another four Ilyushin-76 aircraft were set to fly to Kosovo on Monday and Tuesday. In all, 300 paratroopers were to be airlifted to Kosovo's Slatina airport by Tuesday, ITAR-Tass said. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om