Pristina Airport

YOUR LINK HERE:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VdEpWDUx9XE

(13 Jun 1999) English/Nat • • Russian soldiers have turned back British and French NATO troops from Pristina on the second day of their occupation of the city's airport. • • NATO troops had hoped to use the strategic airfield as its headquarters. • • Despite the standoff, NATO Supreme Commander General Wesley Clark has insisted the airport is not crucial and that K-FOR was never going to use it for any deployment purposes. • • The standoff at Pristina airport has entered its second day with Russian troops turning back NATO forces early on Sunday morning. • • Russian troops blocked a road near the airport in the Kosovar capital to British K-FOR tanks and soldiers late on Saturday night. • • As daylight broke the impasse continued with the Russians allowing local traffic through their makeshift checkpoint, but refusing K-FOR troops access along the road to their local headquarters and to the airport. • • Reporters at the scene said that there was at least one more Russian A-P-C further along the road. • • Russian and Serb troops are still showing no signs of allowing the troops into the airfield. • • SOUNDBITE: (English) • Our mission was to deploy a tactical fuel depot here at Pristina airport, but when we arrived half an hour ago Russians and Serbians told us that it was impossible to enter into the airport. • SUPER CAPTION: French Commander • • Despite the difficulties at the Pristina airport, British troops have busily fanned out around the perimeter of Pristina, taking up positions along main roads. • • Soldiers are reconnoitering the area, searching for helicopter landing sites and setting up field headquarters. • • The NATO security force was initially expected to set up its command centre at the airport, but that facility's status now remains unclear. • • NATO and Russian commanders met face-to-face on Saturday to discuss control of the airport, which the Russians took over after arriving unexpectedly in Pristina early on Saturday. • • At least 100 additional Russian troops are expected to move soon into Kosovo from nearby Bosnia. • • Russia had been expected to take part in the peacekeeping force, but U-S Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott has failed in negotiations so far to resolve differences with Moscow over who would command the Russians and where they would be based. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

#############################

New on site